


Marked with the Kiss of Death (OLD VERSION)

by BaeyoungnBaeran



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: 707 x mc5, Action, Comedy, Crime, Different MCs, Drama, F/M, Has some illustrations in between, Has youtube trailer per chappie unless artist is busy, MC2 - Freeform, MC4 - Freeform, Mafia AU, Rating May Change, Ray x mc2, Romance, Slight trigger warnings, Slow Burn, Thriller, blonde mc - Freeform, brunette mc, mc1 - Freeform, mc3, mc5 - Freeform, minor rika/v, nsfw to be safe, pink mc, tan mc, you've been cautioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:15:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 35,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23299948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BaeyoungnBaeran/pseuds/BaeyoungnBaeran
Summary: Would you rather be famous but live with a criminal?"I swear he finds me anywhere I go! I see his white hair in all---"The feeling of freezing arms snaking around her waist gave her sudden reconsiderations of her life decisions."It's just how it is, Princess."Or would you rather hide from a criminal and live as a beggar?"Sorry, I don't have coins," he muttered as he ran his hand through his unruly red hair.His boyish charm has sufficed her eyes, but not enough to please her stomach."Big bills are fine."He never knew beggars can be so picky.(Formerly "A Recipe for Disaster")UPDATE: We will rewrite this ^ ^NEW UPDATE: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25404973/chapters/61608568
Relationships: 707 | Choi Luciel/Main Character, Choi Saeran/Main Character, Kim Yoosung/Main Character, Vanderwood/Main Character (Mystic Messenger), Zen | Ryu Hyun/Main Character
Comments: 10
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> "In which a k-pop idol meets her rather... paranoid bodyguard"
> 
> (Characters are the different MCs of Mystic Messenger)
> 
> Youtube trailer!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDOxgrwLefM

**Chapter 1**

_Fake._

_Pretty._

_Arrogant._

_Entertaining._

_This is totally not a huge difference in my life, given I receive both hate mails and fan mails daily. A messed up liquid damaging my vision permanently is--for some reason--not a huge surprise from the pack of wolves dressed in sheep's clothing._

_This, however, is wrecking my human understanding beyond repairable reason. For the first time in my life, I have witnessed the most absurd thing. Being overly protective is one thing, but seeing a bodyguard randomly using a taser gun in the middle of a crowd would leave anyone rooted on his spot and stupefied to even move an inch._

_I’ve numerous questions I wanted to ask, the first being,_

_‘Dad, just why?’_

o-o-o

_Being a mafia member was not entirely my choice, but being my boss' daughter's bodyguard certainly wasn't on the death contract I signed._

_I would say she's fairly a good person, but as I listen to her rant about how messed up I am for breaking this garbage's arm, I find myself feeling perplexed after such a long while._

_Why would someone complain about getting her ass saved?_

_"He was carrying a pen."_

_A fountain pen that can obviously stab your eyes off your sockets._

_"You. Are. Insane."_

_An eye roll from her and I would have loved to be insane enough to stab her eyes off their sockets myself._

_To all the thoughts Big Boss placed in this, all I can ask is..._

_‘Big Boss, just why?’_

o-o-o

“Sorry I’m late, Ma’am Ayu,” a young man presumably in his early 20s, with bleached hair and mint eyes, bowed in front of her, “I was told a princess needed a bodyguard?”

_He should be thankful she was not an early sleeper. Had she been one, he would have stayed outside the doorstep until the next morning._

_What kind of bodyguard arrives and introduces himself at midnight?_

He pursed his lips in a thin smile that screamed ‘forced and fake’... and the young blonde in front of him immediately got the message.

“Hmm, so you’re the bodyguard Dad sent. How old are you?”

“24, ma’am,” he said, still sporting his obviously — at least, in her eyes— fake smile.

_Did he take her as someone who was dense?_

She eyed him up and down, “I was expecting someone older and taller and…” _scarier,_ she was tempted to say. “Never mind. Just tell me your name.”

“Ray.”

“Ray…?”

“Just Ray.”

Uncrossing her arms, she nodded and stepped sideways to let him in.

His eyes scanned the surroundings as she led him around her apartment.

She pointed to a room at the corner, “See that guest room right there?” Ray nodded. “That’s where you’ll be sleeping. You don’t have to concern yourself about the toiletries. They’re all there.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“Also, take note of my schedule for tomorrow. I don’t care what time you wake up, as long as you finish your morning rituals by 6:00. The driver will come pick us up by that time.”

“Ah, about that. Your dad told me I’d replace the driver.”

“Is that so,” she raised a brow, then shrugged her shoulders. She and her driver were never really close to begin with but still, it was a surprise. Her father only mentioned a new bodyguard, but nothing about said bodyguard replacing the driver. 

“Well then, same time. I have a shooting for a music video at around 8:30 so I have to be there by around 7:00 to report for hair and makeup. Are we clear?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Then, have a good night.”

o-o-o

It’s been a long time since she last encountered that smell.

The familiar scent of butter and bacon filled the air the moment she stepped out of the room.

_Scratch that._ She was still inside the bedroom when she caught a whiff of it, albeit a faint one.

“Good morning, princess!”

Ayu clenched her jaw at the mention of that nickname. Of all the times he could have called her ‘princess’, why did he have to do it so early in the morning?

It was fine when her father called her that, but if it’s another person… or rather, someone like Ray...

_Must have been the way he said it._

Switching the stove off, Ray took the frying pan and placed four strips of bacon over a plate of waffles and scrambled eggs. Beside it was a mug of hot chocolate with mini marshmallows floating in it. “I cooked you breakfast.”

Without taking a glimpse at the meal he prepared, Ayu took two slices of bread from the pack and made her way towards the toaster. “Looks good but,” she plugged the toaster and placed the bread inside the slots.

“I don’t eat those kinds of food,” she turned the timer and lowered the lever. “You can eat it if you want to.”

“Ah, is that so?” Ray untied his apron and hung it on the oven handle, “But your dad told me this was your favourite, so I—”

“Was.”

With a curt smile as strained as the first one he gave her, he sat and took the food that was supposed to be hers. “I see.”

o-o-o

“And cut! Good job, everyone!”

As soon as the shooting stopped, Ray went to Ayu and handed her a face towel and bottle of water.

“Thank you,” she gulped half of its contents in one go. They’ve been filming non-stop for three hours straight and for a while, water seemed like a drink out of a 3-star Michelin restaurant.

Ray nodded and went back to his spot at the corner, his eyes poring over the whole area.

_Sure, he may have been annoying (maybe unintentionally) but so far, he seemed like a capable bodyguard. Surely, her father would not assign to her an incompetent one._

She then felt a heavy weight leaning on her back and hugging her waist. As Ayu turned to check whose face was on her shoulder, she immediately noticed their lead dancer’s purple locks, “Annie, you’re heavy~”

“I’m so tired,” the taller girl whined, voice slightly muffled from burying her face on the short blonde’s shoulder.

“Aaww,” Gently shoving Annie’s head away from her shoulder, she removed the brunette’s arms around her waist and faced her. “Guess what?”

She groaned, “Please. My brain is too tired to think.”

“Hmm~” the blonde repeatedly tapped her finger on her chin. “I made cupcakes if that makes you feel better~”

The brunette perked up and grabbed Ayu’s shoulders, “Omg, seriously?!”

“Yeah," she took out the tupperware of cupcakes from her shoulder bag.

“Uwah! Ayu’s the best!” Annie chose a chocolate-flavoured cupcake with white icing that had chocolate buttons all over. Peeling part of the paper cup, she took a bite out of the cupcake. “I missed this”

“Not too much though,” Ayu took a tissue and wiped the icing off the side of her mouth. She sometimes forgets that she’s only a month younger than their main dancer. “Remember, in moderation.”

Ayu did not get a reply from her as Annie was completely engrossed with her half-bitten snack. Another thing she sometimes forgets; Annie was the main dancer, yet she still had the thinnest figure out of all the members.

“Yoohoo!” The short blonde waved her arms, which attracted the staff’s attention. “Who wants cupcakes?!”

A horde of hungry and overworked staff stopped whatever task they were doing and went towards her at the mere mention of ‘cupcakes’. 

“Ayu,” the makeup artist, a rather short woman with a dyed blue pixie cut, grabbed a blueberry cupcake with a rose-shaped icing on top. “ I can’t help but notice that you’re getting prettier everyday.”

She scoffed, “Is that so?” Ayu lightly hit the woman’s shoulder. “This is why you’re my favourite~!”

“This tastes so good!”

Ayu could not help but beam at the staff’s smiling faces. “Help yourselves, guys!”

“Thanks, Ayu!”

“Ayuuuu!” Annie whined, mouth still stuffed with food, “Why aren’t you joining us?”

She shook her head, “No, it’s fine. I already ate some and besides… I’m quite full”

_Of course, that wasn’t the complete truth_. She was not hungry, but she also hadn’t eaten much.

“Sienna!” Annie called out to a tall redheaded woman talking to their manager. The redhead turned her head in the direction of Annie. “Want some?”

Sienna politely smiled and shook her head and hand, before bringing her attention back to the manager.

Annie shrugged, “Suit yourself,” and focused on her food once again.

Sienna Park, their official visual. In an industry that places emphasis on looks, her natural beauty was considered striking and one of the most renowned. With her long curly red hair, emerald green eyes, and tall stature — not to mention the unique mix of her American and Korean genes along with her ample… _assets_ ; it came as no surprise that she stood out.

If Ayu were to be completely honest, she expected herself to be the visual… until Sienna came.

But Ayu had an advantage over her. Whereas Sienna was known for her beauty, Ayu was admired for her charming personality that shone from their many variety show guestings. Because of that, she became the Face of the group, a feat not easily attained due to them being one of the top 3 girl groups not only within Korea but internationally as well.

While her blue eyes lingered on the redhead, the surroundings seemed like background noise as her inner voice grew louder.

_‘She’s prettier but you’re more popular’_

_‘You can hit higher notes than her’_

_‘You get to be the center in all of your music videos’_

_‘You’re better’_

_‘So don’t let her look down on you’_

_‘You’re better’_

o-o-o

“Are you done, princess?” Ray took her bag and followed her to the car.

He was about to open the backseat door but suddenly paused. She followed the direction of his gaze, which was on a man wearing shades, leaning against the car parked in front of theirs.

“You know him?” She has been in the agency for over 3 years and knew all the staff, but she has never seen that man hanging around the studio.

But she received no answer from Ray. His eyes were simply fixated on the man and he had on his face an unreadable expression.

She frowned, “Care to explain?”

“Can you give me a moment, princess,” he marched away from her and towards the man, slowly taking out something from his pocket. When Ayu saw what it was...

“RAY!”

Giving the man no time to react, Ray swiftly held it against the man’s hips, causing him to fall to the ground.

Ray ignored the man then sauntered over to Ayu, who had her mouth agape at him.

He opened the backseat door and prompted her in, “Are you alright, princess?”

_She_ should be the one asking him that.

  
  
  


o-o-o

Midway towards their destination, Ayu requested Ray to stop by a milkshake place on the way.

“Mint chocolate chip. If you want, you can buy whatever flavour you like.”

Ray nodded and did as told.

While waiting for him, she took out her phone and found that she had a message sent 10 minutes ago.

_From: Zenny!_

_Ayu! I saw a good barbecue place. Want to come some time?_

Ayu grinned and immediately typed her message.

_To: Zenny!_

_You serious?! Of course! ^ 0 ^ it’s been a while since we last hung out T-T Aaww I really missed hanging out with you >~< _

She double-checked her message to see if there were any cringeworthy words or typographical errors. When she was done double-checking, she checked it again.

Once she was satisfied, she hit send.

The door to the driver’s seat then opened and Ray entered, holding a plastic bag with two milkshakes inside.

“Mint choco for the princess,” he took out and handed her her order.

“Thank you,” she took it from his hand then took a sip from it.

She slowly gulped the drink and savoured the combination of mint and chocolate.

“Do you need anything else?”

Ayu shook her head, still sipping her drink.

“Where to next?”

“Grocery.”

Ray nodded and proceeded to put on his seatbelt. But just as he was about to fasten it, he looked at the side mirror and paused midway.

“Is something the matter?” Ayu asked.

“Stay here,” he released the seatbelt and exited the car. Ayu’s eyes followed where he was headed to.

Ray stormed towards a young man, whom Ayu presumes to be in his late 20s, drinking whatever drink he had and minding his own business.

Ayu choked on her drink when Ray suddenly grabbed the man’s collar and arm, then threw him over his hip. She coughed a bit and repeatedly slapped her chest.

She only barely recovered when she saw Ray stepping on the man’s chest and tasing his side.

_Her dad must have sent her the wrong person. It had to be._

Ray had not yet fully entered the car when Ayu shouted at him.

“THE HECK?!”

He ignored her and fastened his seatbelt.

“What did you just do?”

He stayed silent and started driving. After a few moments, he gave a vague answer.

“What I had to do.”

o-o-o

Three was definitely not a lucky number. Third time was absolutely not the charm and whoever said that must have been out of their minds.

_That includes her new bodyguard._

What kind of bodyguard would twist a random man’s arm... in a public place, no less?

“OH. MY. GOD!” 

The man whimpered with his face flat to the floor. Before he even got to ask for Ayu’s autograph, Ray had already grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back, forcing him to the ground in the process.

“A-ah! I’m sorry! A-ah—!” Ray twisted his wrist and slightly pushed the man’s elbow, earning another yelp of pain. “P-please don’t kill me!”

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! I’m sorry! Are you alright? I apologize, he’s just feeling…” _stupid, out of his mind, that’s what,_ “I’ll handle him.” 

Ayu grabbed Ray’s arm, causing him to release the poor man. She pulled him away, repeatedly bowing in the process, and once they were a good distance away from the victim...

“THE HELL?!” She released his arm and shoved it away. “WHAT THE F—!” Her eyes widened before she could let the word slip out. 

She closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. _That was a close call,_ “WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?!” 

Ray simply blinked, his face and mint eyes betraying no emotion.

“WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!”

“He was carrying a pen,” he said as though it was an obvious and perfectly valid reason.

She scrunched her eyebrows while trying to wrap her head around his logic.

_No matter how much she tried she can't._

Rubbing her temples, she drew in a long breath then counted up to five, “YOU. ARE. INSANE.”

o-o-o

Ayu repeatedly crossed and uncrossed her legs as she waited for her father to pick up the phone. When he didn’t answer, she pressed ‘1’ again. She drummed her fingers on her lap.

“Pick up, pick up,” she repeatedly muttered.

By the eighth ring, he finally answered, “Oh, Princess, you call—”

“My bodyguard is broken.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which an idol recalls an ugly event with a hater,  
> a private investigator is in dire need of sleep,  
> and a domino effect of unfortunate events befalls upon an unlucky college dropout
> 
> Story trailer~
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDOxgrwLefM

“What’s the matter, princess?”

“First of all, don’t take this the wrong way. I’m not blaming you… it’s not you and it’s not even me. It’s him.”

“Him?”

“Ray. You know that” she let out an exasperated sigh, “bodyguard… thing. Are you sure he’s the one you gave me?”

“Of course. What’s wrong?”

“Well then, why’s he driving me nuts?”

“What do you mean?”

“Yes! That’s what I’ve been asking him! He’s,” she pointed to the side of her head, spinning her finger, “not in his right state of mind. He attacked three men in just a day. Without warning. Does he think he’s just taking a walk in a park?!” 

“Ugh, I can’t even...” she massaged her left temple. Just recalling how her day went was enough to have her head throbbing.

He made no reply; she took it as a sign to continue her rant.

“I mean, like, maybe— just maybe— he has some underlying mental issues deep inside. If so, I feel bad for him, really, but,” she huffed. “Rudeness has a limit that not even mental illness can excuse, okay?”

“Alright. I’ll talk to him.”

“Please fix him.”

o-o-o-o

From the guest room, Ray stepped out of the bathroom, water dripping from his hair, a few drops wetting his plain white shirt.

He yawned. _First day following the princess around already had him drained._

He checked his phone to see if it was fully charged. Once it was, he unplugged it from the socket and pressed the lock button. It showed a notification of a message Big Boss sent half an hour ago. He unlocked his lock screen pattern for the week and opened the message.

_From: Big Boss_

_'You did a good job today. Keep it up’_

He snorted. _As expected, the spoiled brat tattled on him._

What fans saw as innocent blue eyes, he saw as icy blue ones looking down on him as if she were better than him and everyone beneath her were scums.

“Poor us, princess,” he tossed his phone on the bed.

“ _We’re stuck with each other.”_

o-o-o-o

_How he was not yet blind was a mystery Luciel may not ever find an answer to in his lifetime_. Sure, he may have bad vision but the fact that his life revolved around computers, he half-expected to completely lose his vision.

Loyal to his daily routine, he turned his laptop on, and scrolled through folders and folders and folders and folders of cold cases the RFA members, mostly V, handed to him.

RFA, which stood for Rika’s Fundraising Association, was founded by civil lawyer Rika Kim and her fiance, criminal lawyer Jihyun Kim. On the outside, a fundraising charity organization aimed to help the poor, sick, elderly and the abandoned.

Behind the curtains, an independent private investigation group specializing in cold cases and “solved” ones suspected of foul play.

He could still remember the first meeting RFA had, where Rika voiced out their organization’s goal.

_“Our vision is to provide a beacon of hope for the unfortunate and lend a helping hand with utmost effort. We not only help the poor and the sick but also victims of crimes yet to be solved. With those victims, we are not only giving them the justice they deserve but also closure for their loved ones.”_

_RFA had three divisions — Research and Documentation, Mission and Investigation, and the Legal Division._

_The Research and Documentation Division— which included Yoosung Kim, Chief Secretary Jaehee Kang and their leader Jumin Han — was in charge with auditing or handling funds; gathering official information about the case such as victims, autopsy reports, witnesses, suspects, official details; new member documentation, which very rarely happens and only happened with Vanderwood; and compiling evidence gathered by the Mission and Investigation Division._

_The Mission and Investigation Division was where he comes into the picture. Unlike the Research and Documentation Division, they were more hands-on. It uncovers obscure details about the case through hacking and undercover/field missions, interviews people close to or related to the case, and investigates and concludes the suspect’s identity by reviewing the official information and evidence they gathered._

_He used to be the only member of that division until Vanderwood came. The tall man who should get a haircut was a secret agent Luciel found from hacking agencies that may have information about the case. Lo and behold, he came across the Madam’s agency._

_‘I, the Defender of Justice, the great God 707, seek information about a case we’re investigating. If you agree to help us, call xxxx-xxx-xxxx. Provide us with that juicy juicy yummy info and our evil overlord will pay you anything you want > 3 < anything but a girlfriend, my body or Honey Buddha Chips’’ _

As a precaution, he did not send his personal number and instead, gave one of his 15 phone numbers. He was not even sure whether the Madam would agree or not. The chances of him declining were 99.99%.

_And what a miracle it was when that 0.01% chance won. Miracles do happen._

_“Defender of Justice speaking~! How may I help you?”_

_“You know it’s basic etiquette to answer a call from someone you asked for help?” were Vanderwood’s first words at their first meeting._

_Apparently, the Russian secret agent was in dire need of cash and only accepted his offer when a hacker co-worker of his confirmed it safe to accept._

_That came as a shock to Luciel since first of all, he had not mentioned anything about the RFA and second, no one ever came that far into finding out information about him._

_If she managed to find any information at all about him, a hacker notorious for being the best and never leaving any trail, then she must be really good. Not as good as him but impressive and worthy of his kudos._

_“She’s damn good; let’s just leave it at that,” was Vanderwood’s reply._

_The last was the Legal Division, handled by its only member Atty. Jihyun Kim; this was where the Mission and Investigation Division passed the evidence to. Upon receiving what they gathered, Jihyun must think of a way to use the evidence to his favor in a legal manner (since Luciel gained them through unethical hacking) and once that was done, he would file for the reopening of the case and defend his clients pro bono._

_Every time word gets out of Jihyun reopening a case, the suspects knew their happy times were over. With a 100% success rate, he was known to be the best in C &R’s law unit. In court, he was reminiscent of a merciless predator pouncing on a helpless prey, leaving them mauled beyond recognition. Just mentioning his name was enough to send chills down their spine. _

Luciel leaned back and stretched backward, finally releasing the long-awaited heavenly sound of a crack. _Literally the only thing he looked forward to._

He then stretched his arms and slightly twisted them, earning a ‘pop’ from each. The next ones were his neck, back, and knuckles.

If Madam Vanderwood were with him, he would have received an endless tirade about how he always sounded like a living bubble wrap.

Once everything was neatly popped, he went back to the case.

He forgot how a mattress felt against his skin. _Sleep? What sleep?_

With the number of cases they’ve been giving him, he was bound to die young. And it wasn’t like they gave him ones easy to crack.

_Then again, it wouldn’t be a cold case if it were easy._

His life motto was simple; ‘Work hard, die young’. He would have been fine had it only been the latter, but alas, life was never kind to him from the moment he was conceived.

Just the night before, Elly’s mom (a.k.a evil mother-in-law) had thought calling sleep-deprived him to go to the C&R building was a brilliant idea. _Spoilers, it was not._ But as a slave, he had no choice but to do as told; not without whining, of course.

_Upon arriving at the office, Mista Trust Fund Kid-slash-Cat Mom dumped on his hand a brown envelope before he could even say ‘Hyung’._

_And Jumin says he’s the rude one._

_“I want you to work on this case.”_

_The redhead was unsure whether it was an order or a habit the Chairman-to-be had picked up from many years of training to lead their family business. Knowing him, it was most likely both; Jaehee would have had firsthand experience._

_He could have just omitted ‘I want you to’ and gone straight to the point._

_Luciel opened the envelope and took out all three papers._

_He scanned the first page, skipping the high school information and proceeding to his undergraduate and post-graduate information; Atty. Kwanghim Jeong, Masters in Economics graduate with honors from the University of Oxford, an alumnus from Harvard Law School, Magna Cum Laude, was awarded the Joseph H. Beale Prize every year and the Morgan Chu prize during his first year, five years experience as an Associate Lawyer._

_He flipped the first page to the back and glossed over the second page, which was just a continuation of the first page. He turned to the next page, his eyes barely moving as he skimmed through the words; just like the first two, it only showed his many credentials._

_He placed the papers back inside the envelope. He got the gist; dude was a skilled lawyer._

_“I ordered Assistant Kang to conduct research on him. She found some of his accessible information from a website she called ‘LinkedIn’. The rest, I’m not quite sure but she assured that they were reliable sources.”_

_“Okaaaay… what’s your point?”_

_“He’s a private lawyer with a 100% success rate.”_

_“Uh, so? V-Hyung is too, but I don’t see you questioning him.”_

_"Not so fast. From what I heard from them and what Assistant Kang gathered, his clients are all suspected of being a part of an organized crime ring. And just when the other side gains the upper hand, all evidence against them is erased.”_

_“This isn’t a cold case, though… Just leave them be and they’ll leave us be.” He shrugged. “Win-win.”_

_"I’m aware but do you recall RFA’s vision?”_

_“Yeah. Help the unfortunate, like the poor, the sick, victims that never received justice yada yada blabla... What does that have to do with this?”_

_“Allow me to remind you that our aim is to help those in need. Although we have only been working on cold cases, Rika and V never said it was strictly for those.”_

_“Yeah but…”_

_“I expect efficiency and good results from you. Now, excuse me.”_

_Such was the life of an incognito private investigator-slash-hacker-slash-slave working in the shadows._

Mid-scroll through the case, his security system suddenly made a long ‘beep!’

_‘Oh God Seven-oh-Seven! A rare boss monster has spawned! God Seven! S.O.S! Defender of Justice! God Seven—!’_

He glanced at the CCTV feed, seeing the pink-haired girl banging on his door. Again. For the umpteenth time. He rolled his eyes. Even a math whiz like him lost count of how many times she visited his front door.

He groaned and messed up his perpetually unkempt red hair, “Come on, don’t you get tired at all? Ugh...”

He placed his headphones back on and blasted Bongo Cat’s _Señorita_ to full volume.

As much as he wanted to shoot the random stranger triggering his security system for the past week, he was just too busy to deal with it, or even care.

o-o-o-o

“Tch,” Ayu placed the contact lens back in its case.

She finally took it out in what seemed like several minutes. Little by little, she was getting better at poking her eyes. Gone was the past Ayu who took around an hour for each eye; not quite as good as the ‘experts’ but baby steps still deserve a pat on the back. She was just thankful that she only had to wear them outside.

Before the fiasco that had been their recent fan meet, she never tried them, not even when asked to. She had read many real-life stories of it that seemed straight out of a nightmare; one of which was about a girl who had a lens go completely inside her eyelids that it took literally a whole bottle of solution just to let it slip out. When they managed to get it out, they found that it had folded and had a tear on it. 

Though she preferred not wearing any at all, she considered herself lucky enough to not have her vision completely lost. Messed up, yes, but still there.

She had assured her dad that Mr. Park was not at fault. It was a fan meet event; of course, it would have been difficult to keep a close watch on any possible danger that lurked by. In fact, according to the doctor, if he had been late by a minute, she would have completely lost her vision.

Her dad went livid when he found out about the anti’s attack that when he called her phone, he recited an elaborate plan to kill that anti; _And the details were not for the faint of heart._

_“Dad, forget it. Slapsoils like her are just bored and have no lives.”_

_“...what’s a ‘slapsoil’?”_

If fate allowed her to do so without consequences, she would have sprayed something worse than vinegar and soy sauce. Or perhaps pointing a laser pointer straight at the lowlife’s eyes and stabbing her was better revenge.

But as much as she wanted to do it, it was not worth tarnishing her spotless image; she maintained it since her trainee days… and she wouldn’t let some scum waste her efforts.

_She was Ayu Aoki and she bows to no one._

o-o-o-o

She did it _;_ she finally submitted her withdrawal request. In just a day, she went from promising SKY University Forensics Science freshman, Student # 2018-103240 to useless college dropout.

She bit her lip in an attempt to control her sobs, but the only thing she got was a wounded lip.

A single tear escaped through a crack in her barriers, followed by another until the walls finally collapsed and out came the downpour. She prayed it was a nightmare, but every salty tear she tasted reminded her it was not.

_She never mastered the art of crying with grace. Silent crying was not her forte. Unlike the movies, her crying style did not stop with just a single tear. No stranger swooped in and dried her tears just because they found her pretty and felt compelled to comfort her._

Eyes puffy, nose reddened and cheeks sticky from tears, she must have looked disgusting. If she were to beg again for him to come back and change his mind, just a glance at her state and he’d realize he made the right choice.

_Where did she go wrong?_ _What did she do that caused everything to go downhill?_ She cooked for him, bought him gifts, babysat his little sister, even introduced him to her parents...

_Was their one year together that easy to throw away? She even embarrassed herself in front of random strangers._

_“Please stand up. People are watching,” he whispered, trying to pull her up by her arms, yet she would not budge._

_Indeed, multiple eyes were watching them. From her peripheral vision, she could see a couple of gossiping adults shaking their heads, either out of pity or disbelief at the shameless display of desperation. From afar, a clique of highschoolers held their phones up, seizing the chance to go viral on social media. Parents that passed by them dragged their children away, some even covering their eyes, for fear her stupidity might be contagious; what parent would want their child to grow up into someone like her — a needy ex-girlfriend begging for her former lover to change his mind?_

_Her kneeling figure, disheveled hair, and dark circles under her eyes were what feminists envision a weak heroine to be; devoid of self-respect and reeking of dependency._

_“Please stay,” she clutched at his shirt, crumpled from balling it up her fists. “Please don’t leave me. I’ll do anything you tell me to. Anything! Tell me! What should I do?”_

_Her pride did not matter anymore. She lost it the moment he ended things._

_“Nothing. You don’t have to do anything.”_

_“Am I ugly?”_

_“No...”_

_“Is it my body? Am I fat?”_

_“No…”_

_“Is there something I’m lacking in?”_

_“Samsa…”_

_“Am I boring?”_

_He sighed. “That’s enough.”_

_“Tell me,” she tugged at his shirt, “Is there something wrong with me? Tell me so I can change... whatever it is you want me to change.”_

_“Nothing. You did nothing wrong.”_

_“Then why?! Why are you leaving me?!”_

_“Jinho!”_

_She froze. Hands lost their grip on his shirt. Her body shook and slumped forward, palms pressed against the floor the only thing keeping her balance. The background noise grew fainter, with the familiar female voice echoing and tangling her already-disarrayed thoughts._

_“Aaaaand mocha frappe for—” she took a step back upon seeing Samsa, “Oh. Samsa? What are you doing here?”_

_Samsa locked her violet eyes on the girl’s green ones, "Jinri?" Her voice came out in a shaky whisper._

_Her suspicions were right; it was the same Jinri he talked about._

_The same Jinri he met through a mutual friend of theirs. The same Jinri he went on study dates with. The same Jinri he went out with to go get wasted. The same Jinri he could talk to about his political views. The same Jinri he shared books with. The same Jinri he sent late-night texts to. The same Jinri he messages first thing in the morning._

_The same Jinri he ran to whenever they had a fight._

_She hung her head and broke off eye contact. It was hard to face them; Jinri, Jinho, the truth — that the longer she took in the girl’s flawless features, the more she understood just how easy it was for him to replace her._

_‘Pretty’ did not give her looks justice; she was gorgeous. Even at the very place they stood in, their audience was not only staring at the commotion in front of them but also at the beautiful girl caught between two ex-lovers’ drama._

_Her rosy skin free of imperfections challenged even the most famous celebrities. Her emerald green eyes exuded mystery and captured attention even at first glance._

_Long silky black hair fell in lustrous waves; even if she were to go bald, she would still be a stunner. Compared to that, Samsa’s unruly dyed pink hair took long rituals just to look presentable… but at that moment, her efforts proved futile._

_Though slender, the tiny waist gave the statuesque girl a shapely figure; comparing Jinri’s body to her thick and barely-there curves stirred envy in Samsa._

_And thigh gap? Forget it. Jinri would never understand the stinging burn she felt or the numerous pants she had to stitch or even worry about how long her pants would last._

_As if she wasn’t blessed enough, she was smart. Whenever Jinho talked about her, he always managed to sneak in a remark of how she was a part of Mensa and that she was fluent in 6 languages._

_She should have noticed something amiss when ‘Lizzie Bennet’ was Jinri’s name on his phone while her name was… just plain old ‘Samsa’._

_No, to say she didn’t notice was false; she did… but she chose to look away._

_Against tall, beautiful, smart and interesting Jinri, she was not a loss._

_“She had nothing to do with this.”_

_“Then…why…?”_

_She blinked back tears that stung her eyes and blurred her vision._

_"Won't you come back?" was her last desperate plea._

_“I’m sorry.”_

_And she could not hold it any longer._

She felt a cold drop of water land on her skin _._ Then another one fell.

They first came in threes, then fives, until it turned to a downpour…. _in the dead of night… when she had no umbrella with her._

“UUUUGGGGHHH!”

_Rain can’t hurt her now._ With everything that has happened lately, could her bad luck _be_ any worse?

o-o-o-o

A smart person would call a cab or use Google Maps to find their way back home. 

A _dumb person_ would go out in the middle of the night, without a purse, phone at 6%... and let herself ‘be swept by fate’.

When hope came in the form of a run-down building, her mind processed if she was allowed to enter without permission, but a bolt of thunder reminded her that it did not matter. Drenched and shivering, she ran to her possible shelter.

Once she was in front of the door, she banged on the door just to make sure.

“Excuse me! I’m so sorry but it’s raining really hard and it’s so cold and my clothes are really wet, so I’ll just come in, okay please don’t call the cops or shoot me or anything thank you!” Then she pushed the door open and barged in.

She closed the door behind her and breathed a sigh of relief. She flopped to the ground and made the sign of the cross. _Finally, some sort of luck for the day._

She closed her eyes; the events sucked the energy out of her body. It was quiet, save for the loud pitter-patter of rain outside. She longed for the comfort of her bed and its strawberry-scented fabric conditioner. _When she gets home, she’ll definitely bury her face in it._

But the present smell shook her from her short-lived dream. She wrinkled her nose; the place stank of dried paint and urine.

She twisted a lock of hair and squeezed the water out.

“Eep!” She flinched and yelped at the sudden roar of thunder.

_‘It’s not haunted. There are no ghosts here. It’s not haunted. There are no ghosts here… Ghosts aren’t real’_

She stood up. To take her mind off the replays of random horror scenes she watched, she decided to roam around the building.

Stopping in front of various rooms, she pushed all doors open, finding, thankfully, not ghosts; just ripped wallpapers, ladders, broken tiles and lightbulbs, and a stuffy smell.

With nothing interesting to see, she saw a staircase and climbed to the second floor, taking slow and careful steps to not trip over the broken white tiles. Considering her talent at tripping over air, taking extra caution wouldn’t be so bad. And besides, the rain wasn’t letting up at the moment.

“Be quiet!”

She paused at the third step from the top. _She was not the only one in the building..._

_‘Ghosts?’_

Taking a risk, she climbed the last two steps. She went closer to the room where she heard the voice and slightly pushed the door open. Peeking through a crack, she saw, not ghosts, but four men in police uniforms; two of which beside a good-looking man in brown semi-formal clothing while the other two…

_...restrained a blindfolded and gagged man by his arms, with the one on the left holding a gun to his head._

The tall and good-looking man, presumably in his late 40’s, knelt to the restrained man’s eye level and tugged the black cloth covering his eyes.

“Surely, you are aware of what brought you here, hmm?”

The man’s husky voice sounded pleasant to the ears, a jarring contrast to the threatening words said.

The victim glared at the man and spat at his face.

The man inhaled sharply and wiped the spit off his face. The two officers tightened their grip on their captive, but it did nothing to wipe off the successful smirk he wore.

“Go on. Kill me,” he spat, voice laced with much venom. “The more you hide the truth, the more it wants to break free.”

He heaved a heavy sigh, “I’d rather die than live under your regime.”

The tall man paused. He turned his attention to the two officers and gave a small nod.

Without warning, a loud gunshot sliced through the air.

A slight yelp escaped her mouth. She widened her eyes and slapped a shaky hand over her mouth.

The two officers released the dead man from their grip, now lying on the ground with a pool of blood forming around his head.

_She roamed around to kill time, not to witness someone getting killed!_

She took several steps away, accidentally committing the fatal mistake of stepping on a few shards of broken tiles.

Her heart skipped a beat. All five men snapped their heads to her direction.

“Who’s there?!”

Upon hearing the unknown man’s gruff voice, she ran as fast as her legs could take her.

_Forget the rain!_ She’d rather die of pneumonia than have her brains splattered.

  
  


o-o-o-o

“Did you catch the witness?”

“No, sir. But we have her school ID,” he handed the ID to the tall man.

At the center was a picture of a girl with wavy medium-length pink hair and violet eyes.

“Samsa Chia… 2018-103240,” he muttered to himself.

He turned the card over, which had information on how to return if lost, how to replace if lost, her signature, phone number, guardian’s phone number...

“Proceed to this address,” he pointed at the written address at the back.

“And do whatever it takes to silence her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heheheyyy~! If you've reached this far, congrats!!! > 3 < If you liked it, we'd appreciate reviews or kudos. If not, then we understand~! Thank you for reading, jagiyas ^ 3 ^
> 
> Notes:  
> Ayu - Blonde MC  
> Samsa - Pony MC


	3. Chapter 3

_**** _

**Chapter 3**

_**₩1,000,000 reward offered for information regarding missing FUSION Entertainment trainee’s whereabouts** _

**by Yura Bae | The Express Weekly | April 14, 2009**

_Yuri Lee, 15, was last seen on April 10 around 5:00 P.M exiting FUSION studio._

_The Lee family on Tuesday offered up a ₩1,000,000 reward for any information connected to the sudden disappearance of their daughter._

_“We know she’s alive out there. Yuri… if you’re there, please come back. We miss you,” her father, Jungho Lee, said in an email to Sogu Daily Editor-in-Chief Hong Seungeun._

_According to Inspector Ilsung Yoon, “The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is actively investigating the incident, but we are unable to comment further at this time.”_

_Anyone with information relevant to the case is asked to contact local authorities._

_ **Police seek public’s help in search for Yuri Lee** _

**b _y Chulsoo Kwon | Korea Times | September 1, 2009_**

_Photos from surveillance video of Yuri Lee’s last sighting were released by police in hopes someone with information regarding her disappearance would come forward._

_Yuri Lee is five-foot-five-inches tall, slim build, brown hair, and brown eyes. Notable feature is a scar on her forehead that she got from a car accident. She was last seen wearing a white shirt with a logo of ‘Saint Helena School for Girls’ printed at the center._

_We would like to remind the public that her disappearance is still being actively investigated. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Missing Person’s or Crime Stoppers._

**_Burnt body of FUSION Ent. trainee found near Yongye Beach_ **

**_by Minseo Park | Namkung Ilbo | March 21, 2018_ **

_Around 8:00 a.m., a woman and her five-year old daughter walking along the Yongye Beach informed the Yongye Police Department that she found a body washed ashore, police said._

_Police have launched an investigation after the corpse of a female was found near the 2230 block of South Yunyeong Avenue about 10:54 a.m. Monday, according to a state police news release._

_The woman was five-foot-seven tall and approximately in her late teens to early 20s. Scalp and body were recently shaved. All her fingers and toes were cut off. Though her body was burnt beyond recognition, the small-sized plain pink shirt and skinny jeans she wore were merely soiled but not burnt. No evident signs of struggle were found._

_Check back for updates._

**_Eunjung Lee @heyitseunjungie_ **

_April 13, 2010 marks one year since my younger sister was last seen outside FUSION Studio. Though it’s been this long, we still haven’t given up hope. If anyone knows something, please tell us._

_3:05 PM - April 13, 2010_

_12,051 Retweets 50,548 Likes_

Below was the official composite sketch released by the police. Luciel stared at it for the thousandth time.

Oval face, big round eyes, full lips, and a dainty nose. The left one had long straight hair while the right had long wavy hair.

Hundreds go missing; her case was nothing special… it was a case that never took the front seat, but was _one he kept coming back to_.

Through a quick stalking session, he came across a fairly recent post.

**_Eunmi Lee_**

_March 22 at 4:28 PM_

_Maybe it’s time to let you go… Rest well, unnie. I still miss you. I’ll keep saving you the biggest bowl of jjangmyeon, if it means I could see you again._

Attached below were pictures of Yuri’s milestones; an infant wearing a frilly white dress and socks, a child in pigtails wearing a toga and receiving her diploma, a middle school graduate standing on a podium with several medals hanging from her neck, a jumpshot of her in front of FUSION Entertainment’s studio, and 15 years’ worth of birthday pictures.

The last one was a random picture. No celebrations, no important occasions; just a selfie of a pretty teenager with red hair cascading down her shoulders, cherry red lips, and upturned amber eyes. At only 15, she already looked more mature than her peers.

He skimmed through all 300+ comments, which were just condolences offered to the family and the family thanking each one of them.

_When even the family has given up all hope, was the Yuri Lee case still worth poring over?_

He knew it was wrong to project someone else on another person, especially if said person was confirmed to be dead. It was as if he was using her death for reasons far from noble.

There was nothing special about her case at all. Reading gruesome details of reports everyday had him so desensitized that hardly anything could pique his interest at all. _Suicide as probable cause of death but with evidence that point to foul play?_ _Common_ — 31-year old Taehee Jun, 27-year old international student Alisa Smith, Hanyang University fresh graduate Sooyoung Cho can relate.

_Unknown bodies found but without any records of their identities?_ It wasn’t all that unusual; famous cases include that of Norway’s Isdal Woman and England’s Bella of the Wych Elm.

Historically, one of the many theories regarding victims like them was that they were spies. It was common to people like Vanderwood, and even himself. Though he managed to escape the espionage field, identification records of him were still fake…

… and it must stay that way, lest they trace his whereabouts.

Sometimes, the thought of ending up like them popped at the most random times. He could be photoshopping cats’ faces on spiders or thinking of ways to prank Yoosung or even hatching up plans to save Elly… and the idea of being another Hong Gildong would introduce itself in detail.

_People like him were not meant to exist._

**o-o-o-o**

“Yoohoo, we’re all here!” Five girls waved in unison.

“Now as you can hear, we have here not one, not two… but five beautiful goddesses!”

“Hi!” They shouted in unison and waved to the cameras, “One, two, three! Yororong! We are Dandelion!”

“This is our first time guesting in a radio show so please listen from start to end!”

“Pinch me, I’m dreaming. I’m actually in front of Dandelion? Uh-oh, I drooled on my script...” He whispered.

The girls softly laughed at the joke.

“It’s the opposite,” Ayu began, “Rather, it is an honour to be a guest here!”

“Since all the five ladies of Dandelion are here, can you girls introduce yourselves one by one?”

“Ah,” Ayu clicked her tongue, “I haven’t done this since high school...”

“Hello, I’m Dandelion’s dance machine, Annie. I may be Dandelion’s maknae, but I’m the most mature!”

“No, you just look old,” Ayu quipped. Annie playfully messed Ayu’s hair.

“Hello! I’m Eunbi! And um,” a girl with short purple hair and slightly-tanned skin giggled and looked to her co-members for assistance, “what should I say?”

The blonde beside her drew her headset closer to her mouth and blew loudly into it. She whispered, “That’s Eunbi, she spits fire and does not know what oxygen means.”

“Ooohh nice, nice!”

“Hello, I’m Jiwon, the lead rapper,” Jiwon, a girl with rosy cheeks and black hair dyed with highlights, squirmed in her seat and sheepishly giggled into her headset.

“Hello, I’m Dandelion’s leader, Sienna, the pretty one with the charming smile,” Sienna said in her signature deep voice. Not deep enough to be mistaken as a man, but deep enough to fit the universal standard of sexy.

“Woo~! That’s our Sienna!” Annie and Eunbi wolf-whistled, while Jiwon softly laughed.

_‘It’s only charming if it’s natural.’_

Ayu waved her arms to the cameras, “Hello! Resident cutie and human vitamin here,” she paused and formed a heart shape with her arms. Not one to surrender to their official visual’s ‘charming smile’, she cracked her signature grin that, claimed by fanboys and fangirls alike, showed off her eye smile that casually wrecked their bias lists, “Ayu!”

“Listeners, can you all feel their energy? It’s not just me, right?”

_Coffee was the key._

“So for those of you who don’t know, Dandelion is FUSION Entertainment’s first girl group in 7 years after Nameless. Their debut song, ‘Russian Roulette’ reached number 1 right after its release and even had 1 million views on Youtube within 10 minutes. They’ve been gaining lots of attention since then.”

The man beside him took his turn, “In fact, before their debut, their company released an official statement that they would be releasing a new girl group,” Again, the girls nodded and let him talk without interruption, “But they didn’t reveal any members yet, right?”

“Yes.”

“But pictures of Ayu and Sienna leaked and circulated online. Even before debut, you two became famous, especially you, Sienna. Your visuals were so impressive that they searched everywhere for your name.”

'Please… it’s just the boobs.’

Sienna sheepishly smiled as she scratched her cheek, “I’m flattered they thought of me that way. I know there are countless prettier girls out there and I was sure I don’t stand a chance.”

Ayu rubbed her eyes before she could roll them. False humility was harder to stomach than arrogance.

‘Shut up. There’s no way you don’t know it.’

“You’ve got to be kidding?”

‘Of course, she is. How naive.’

“They chose you as the visual… in a visual group! That’s saying a lot!”

She sheepishly covered her mouth, “Oh… I actually wasn’t expecting that.”

‘You totally expected that.’

“You were even nominated for the most beautiful faces in the world. How can you not notice?”

“I was?”

At that point, Ayu wanted to flip the table. Sienna posts on her social media were consistent… How could she not notice? What sort of bull was she spouting?

“Annie, Eunbi, Ayu, Jiwon, and Sienna…It’s been a year and a half since your debut. Has a lot changed since then?”

“Oh yeah, definitely.”

“Have the five of you gotten closer?”

Ayu clenched her jaw for a split second before adjusting her headset. She smiled, “Absolutely. The dorm used to be very quiet at first since of course, we didn’t know each other yet but over time,” she clapped Annie’s back, “I’d say our bond has gotten stronger, even if I’m not there with them.”

Ayu looked down to her feet and tucked her hair behind her ear for extra effect.

“Aaww, she’s shy~!”

“Do you all miss her?”

Annie was the first to speak, “Very. The dorm became quieter without her.”

“Oh! She must be very talkative.”

“Yeah! It’s like she drinks 5 espressos a day!”

The host shook his head in amazement, “Amazing! She’s like a walking vitamin!”

“You see… My Korean wasn’t that good. I was fresh from Japan when I first became a trainee and there weren’t a lot of Japanese trainees in our agency.”

“So there were, but you weren’t close with them?”

“No. Nothing against them. It just felt awkward since they all knew each other. Thankfully!” She beamed at Ayu, “ Ayu-unnie approached me. She noticed I usually ate alone during breaks. Also, she’s part-Japanese, I’m Japanese so,” she shrugged, “same vibes.”

“How was she back then?”

“Hmm, Unnie was… basically the same as now. Very friendly and bubbly… I used to think she was younger than me because she was so hyper. Actually, she’s the one who taught me Korean.”

“Aaww, that’s nice of her.”

“I was her sensei,” Ayu grinned.

Annie nodded, “True!”

“What about you, Eunbi?”

“Oh, well,” Eunbi started, “Sienna-Unnie was my first friend. I was intimidated at first since she’s so beautiful and looked very unreachable. A lot of guys had a crush on her, but couldn’t approach he—”

“Guys, don’t believe her,” Sienna interrupted.

_‘That’s right. Don’t.’_

“It’s true! Guys,” she looked to Ayu and Annie for support, “Tell them!”

Against her will, Ayu nodded exaggeratedly.

“Yeah! Sienna doesn’t know she’s very pretty..”

“Ah, that’s not true…”

_‘Stop acting demure. It’s so gross.’_

“I also didn’t know people and I was scared they might find my accent funny, so I didn’t speak much. Sienna-unnie was the one who made me feel comfortable.”

“So she was like your best friend?”

“Hmm, rather than a best friend, I see her more as a mom who’ll always have my back.”

_‘I want to gag. Can I go home now?’_

She listened to them talk, occasionally copying whatever they did. If they laughed, she’d laugh. If they nodded, she’d do the same. She could hear their words, but would not hang on to every word. Only when the host gestured to her that she took her turn.

“Well, of course, I missed everyone,” Not. Everyone. “Annie and Jiwon are like younger sisters I never had. Jiwon is like that responsible sister you can boss around, Annie is kinda gullible and terrible at directions—”

“I’m not!” Annie chimed in, earning a laugh from them.

“—Eunbi-unnie is like our...” She drew out the conversation, her topic mainly on anyone other than Sienna. They all offered their own side comments, which just delayed what she wanted to avoid.

_But she came prepared._

When she ran out of words to say about them, “Sienna-unnie…” She began her rehearsed speech, “is like a mother. Sometimes, she cooks for us..."

_Duh, she already cooked for all five._

"... she offers advice,” _She acts all high and mighty._

Ayu has never listened to the radio show before and so, when the manager messaged them about their scheduled guesting, she binge-watched the night before, taking notes on the hosts’ personalities and their usual questions. Just as she expected, they asked what all of them thought about each other.

“What were the scariest moments as a group?”

Eunbi was the first to speak, “Definitely our recent fan meet.”

“The one with the anti?”

She nodded, “Though it didn’t happen to me, I felt scared… not just for Ayu, but all of us. We’re used to haters, but not to that extent… I don’t think there was a reason she hated Ayu. She just hates Ayu for being Ayu. It’s quite scary since we don’t know if a simple action could trigger someone. You get me?”

The host nodded, “I understand.”

“Has she ever apologized?”

She shook her head.

“If she did apologize, would you forgive her?”

“For Ayu, I wouldn’t.”

“Mm-hmm, same.”

Ayu toyed with the ends of her bangs, legs alternately swinging underneath the table.

They, except for Ayu, turned their heads to Sienna, who has not answered anything unless asked.

Without a choice, Sienna sat up straight, “If I were to answer that, I would rather not associate ourselves with her,” she glanced at Ayu and for a second, their eyes made contact.

Sienna broke contact first, “For Ayu, I’d rather not forgive her. But since I wasn’t the one attacked, I have no say in any of this and if Ayu chooses to forgive her… I’ll respect her decision.”

Ayu was not dense. Just from Sienna ignoring her as much as she could, and by analyzing her green eyes, it was obvious she looked down on her younger groupmate. Even the way she stood whenever the two talked gave out an aura of superiority. With her nose always high up in the air, Ayu wished she’d catch an airborne virus.

She had enough experience under her belt. If her high school days were not enough of a credential, the show business taught her a thing or two on who to trust. No one.

_Except for Zen._

“Now that we’ve heard the other girls’ opinion, how ‘bout you, Ayu.”

“Hmm?”

“Say, she’ll apologize. Could you find it in you to forgive her?”

_'Hell no.’_

Ayu beamed and switched on her disgustingly sweet girl act, “Of course. I think no one’s perfect and… we make mistakes. Everyone deserves a second chance.”

_‘Rot in hell, bi—’_

“Miss Kim… I’m not sure if you’re listening to this but… I know your hate towards me won’t go away that fast,” she emphasized each word as if she were talking to a child. “You may have problems at home and I do not want to add to them. Yes, I was scared, but I was never mad. I don’t mind if you don’t say sorry because,” she looked straight at one of the cameras, “I’ve forgiven you already.”

_‘Over my dead body.’_

“And I hope whatever happens in the future, you’ll always take care.”

‘Reminder after coming home: gargle with mouthwash for 10 minutes.’

“To all our fans, please stop bashing her. I think she suffered enough.”

_‘Pulverize her.’_

“How nice! Now we know why you have the most fans. You are definitely someone to be looked up to.”

For the remaining duration of their stay, the serious atmosphere faded as they talked about random stuff. Ayu was fine with it since she was usually flexible in topics that weren’t Sienna.

The host looked behind them and saw the signals of the crew, reminding him that their time was almost up and it was time to end the show.

“Well, then! Thank you, girls! It was a pleasure having you on our show! We’ll be looking forward to having you here again!”

“No, thank you for inviting us here! We will always remember you during performances.”

“Now would you like to say something to your fans?”

“Thank you for listening and please support us and stay tuned for our next comeback! Let’s stick together ‘till the end! Yororong, fighting!”

**o-o-o-o**

Not even the burning sensation in her throat or her stomach’s pleas for food slowed her pace as she turned corners, trying to catch a sight of her apartment’s familiar white exterior. She had already planned her agenda once she got home — to be one with the mattress.

With no phone at hand, Samsa was not sure for how long she was away. Panting heavily, mouth dry and legs feeling like jelly, she guessed it took a ‘pretty long time’.

_Finally— her apartment building!_ Just a little more and she could finally sleep! Or drink! Or eat! If possible, she’d do all three at the same time!

She staggered to a halt, almost losing her momentum.

She rubbed her eyes and squinted. Was she seeing things? The fatigue must be shaking up her sanity.

The landlady, who barely went out of the building, stood at the front door, conversing with two men wearing police uniforms.

Her eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. She looked left and right to see if the others were around.

_Did they follow her all night? That can’t be it. It made no sense to follow her and keep her alive for that long… as soon as they saw her, they would have killed her, diced her corpse, fed it to the dogs, then killed the dogs once they were done. She shuddered at the thought. She wasn’t paranoid or anything. Anything was possible. All those crime podcasts said so!_

She hid behind a nearby parked car and crouched.

The first policeman handed to the landlady something Samsa cannot fully make out. From her distance, she could only make out a green strip of cloth. She craned her neck forward to get a clearer view. What she saw almost made her choke.

_It was a lanyard from SKY University’s Forensics Department._

_‘It’s fine. SKY University is a big school; it could be anyone’s.’_

To be sure, she frisked her shirt, hoping to feel her I.D hanging on her neck. But the only thing it came in contact with was the fabric. She patted her chest and sides more than thrice…

_Nothing._

She fished through her pockets and when she pulled them out… _still nothing…_

_It was official; Samsa was a dead woman walking_. Her only comfort was that she hadn’t dyed her hair when they took the picture.

She shook her head. Silly. Just because she dyed her hair to an unnatural colour did not mean her face changed. And besides, the landlady was gesturing to her shoulder and spinning the ends of her hair.

_Ah, right. She had it cut a while ago._

She wanted to scream and let it all out, but all that came were tears of frustration. _Her bed would have to wait…_

_Had she known the last night with her bed was the last time she’d ever see it, she would never have woken up._

**o-o-o-o**

Ayu was in the middle of her meal when she felt a vibration from her pocket. She took it out and pressed the Home button.

_From: Zenny~_

_Ayuuu~ you wouldn’t believe what just happened!_

She quickened the pace of her eating, gulping her soup and barely chewing her rice. Once she was done, she wiped her hands on a table napkin and quickly slid the notification open.

_‘OML ASDFGHKLU REA,’_ she erased it. _Too excited._ Once she thought of a better message, she typed and waited for a minute to pass before sending.

_To: Zenny!_

_Really?! :o tell me~~~_

In less than 6 seconds, she received a reply.

_From: Zenny!_

_I GOT THE ROLE!!!!!_

Her eyes widened at the message. _No way…!_

Just a month ago, he told her how nervous he was about it. Though she had reassured him, she knew his worries were valid. Despite being a talented actor himself, there were auditionees who have accomplished much more than him. Not to mention, the rumours spreading about how the auditions were just formalities since the director already had someone in mind.

Unfair, but the entertainment business was never fair, to begin with.

_To: Zenny!_

_I TOLD YOU SO! I KNEW YOU’D GET IT!_

_From: Zenny~_

_ngl, I have a friend who keeps pranking me so thought it was! But no! It is legit!_

_To: Zenny~_

_I’m so happy for you!_

_From: Zenny~_

_Because of that, I shall treat you to that barbecue place I talked about :D_

_To: Zenny~_

_When? :o_

Her heart skipped a beat. She pursed her lips together to suppress her growing grin.

As she looked up from her phone, she saw Ray, with his plate empty and his brows knitted as he had his eyes fixated on her.

She frowned at him, “Yes?”

Was he really someone her father sent? A rule her father taught her was to not stare at someone as they eat. Either her father forgot to mention it or Ray was just a socially-unaware weirdo.

She held her eye contact with the same intensity as his own. Just like her, Ray was able to hold his own, not even flinching under her gaze.

Ayu would’ve held her ground longer had she not felt her phone’s vibration. She broke off from their eye contact and opened the notification.

_From: Zenny~_

_Tomorrow? 4:00?_

_To: Zenny~_

_lololol can’t wait! \\(^o^)/_

As she read the message over and over again, she felt something rub the corner of her lip.

Ray’s hand was extended to her as he wiped her lip with a table napkin, “There are cameras here. They might take a picture of you.”

Annoyance bubbled within her. She felt as if he was talking down to her. Not only that but it felt as if… _it was Sienna talking to her._

The only thing stopping her: _she was in public._

He leaned back on his seat and crossed his arms, going back to scanning his surroundings.

She gave it 10 seconds, then finally replied, “Thank you, but you could’ve just told me…”

“You looked like you were busy. I didn’t want to be rude.”

Ayu grimaced, _‘And this isn’t?’_

She put the phone back in her pocket, “Are you done eating?”

He nodded.

“Is there something else you want?”

“Oh. Um… no. But thank you.”

Ayu nodded and shrugged her shoulders, “Suit yourself,” she raised her hand until she caught the waitress’ attention.

Once she finished signing the receipt, she smiled and handed it, “Thanks.”

“Umm,” the waitress was bouncing on her heels as she looked every so often behind her, “is it okay if… I ask for an autograph?”

“Oh, sure!” She repeatedly clicked her pen, “Where should I sign it?”

“Oh, here!” She hurriedly fished through her chest pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. She handed it to Ayu.

“Ooh, this looks beautiful! Is this yours?” Ayu’s hand hovered above it.

The girl excitedly nodded, “Yep!”

“Ooh~! Okay, who should I sign it for?”

“Chaerin!”

“Ooh, Chaerin~! That’s a pretty name,” she said as she began writing.

Head still down, she subtly looked at Ray, who in turn was shooting daggers at the girl. The fangirl, still stuck in her starstruck state, was blind to the death glares he sent her.

Ray let out a muffled grunt.

Ayu smirked. _Those Taekwondo lessons paid off._

_“Best regards,”_ she signed, “ _Ayu._ Here you go, Chaerin!” She handed her the signed handkerchief.

Chaerin excitedly took the cloth, “Thank you, Miss Ayu!” She hastily went back to the counter. Two of her co-workers flocked to her as she showed off the signed cloth.

She dumped her stuff in her shoulder bag before facing Ray and smiling, “Oh no, how’s your leg?” She said in a sickly-sweet tone, throwing him her best puppy eyes.

For a split-second, she thought she witnessed something flash in his eyes. Instantly, it went back to normal.

He cleared his throat and forced a smile, “Of course.”

“You done? Let’s go?”

Ray nodded. Together, they stood and made their way out. Ayu thanked the waiters before exiting, with Ray following closely behind.

As they got further from the restaurant, she quickened her pace, her steps gaining a bounce to them. Zen asked her to hang out! Zen. Asked. Her! Out! Just a friendly date, but a date nonetheless!

As they stopped in front of their car, she waited for the sound of keys jingling and the car lights to go on, still stuck about their to-be date.

_‘Not a date.’_

She narrowed her eyes and looked at Ray. Why was he taking his time?

“Ray?”

He ignored her. His head was turned to his left and plastered on his face was the creepiest Cheshire grin she’s ever seen him sport, one that did not reach his eyes.

_Why couldn’t he smile like a normal person…?_

She followed his line of vision, but there was nothing there.

She snapped her fingers in front of his face, “Ray?”

He turned to face her, the sickening grin still stuck on his face, “Yes?”

“Are you alright? Is there something wrong?” With you, she added as an afterthought.

“No! Nothing at all! Let’s go!”

**o-o-o-o**

_Her father did not send a bodyguard; he sent her a guard dog._

Scrolling through candid pictures of her on social media, 95% of the comments she read talked about Ray.

As much as she disliked their first meeting, Ayu couldn’t deny that he performed his job with much skill; and one of those skills happened to be sniffing hidden cameras.

_So that explained his weird behaviour._

Although he was just doing his job, she’d rather he never smile at all.

Hanging around a celebrity with that milky white skin of his resulted in viral photos, receiving comments that revolved around Ray— how pale his skin was, how much prettier he looked compared to his boss, and what satanic ritual he did to gain his camera-spotting abilities.

Naturally, the citizens of Twitter ate it up.

_**forever ayu stan @dandylion4ever** _

_lmao @ayu_baeyu’s bodyguard lololol_

_**Matcha @ba_dum_tss** _

_I bet Dispatch hates his guts_

_**Chichoo @baejisoo** _

_ik queen @ayu_baeyu is gorjus but holy shi her bodyguard’s kinda cute just me ok asdfghhkl_

_**Yawn @yeonthesheep** _

_@honhonyeah OMG YUUUSSS_

_**cigarette daydreams @sunsoda94** _

_his skin is brighter than my future_

_**depressed hotdog @jinny** _

_no hate but hes kinda like a tofu_

She let out a snort. They weren’t exactly... wrong. Ray’s pale skin made Ayu wonder if he even got out of his house before working for her. If that were the case, then that would explain his… _unique personality._

_'What a waste of good looks.'_

**o-o-o-o**

“T-tom?”

“Hey, Samsa,” Tom gave a quick glance at her, then did a double-take, “Samsa?”

“N-nice weat-ther today.”

“Wow,” he squinted his eyes, “You look—”

“Ah, please don’t say it.”

“Oh, sorry. You alright?”

“Oh, um, well… no, it’s just, uh, the thing is… you know....”

Her mouth itched to get the words off her chest. She already had the speech planned in her head; the only thing left to do was to voice it out, but...

“Yeah, more or less.”

It was not the most ideal ice breaker. If word got out, not only will she be a dead missing person, but so will he.

_Assuming he would believe her_... Her current appearance screamed ‘shady’ so much, him reporting her as an asylum escapee was not farfetched.

Without warning, her stomach made its bold introduction as a dying whale.

Heat rose to her face as she squirmed in her spot. No way could a non-deaf person within a 6-foot radius not hear it. Fortunately, Tom did not notice; either that or he chose to ignore it. He fished through his canvas bag and took out a banana bread wrapped in plastic.

He offered it to her, “Sorry, this all I have left.”

She looked at him, then at the bread, and greedily took it, “Thank you! Thank you!” She repeatedly bowed.

She tore the wrapper open and stuffed the bread in her mouth. The taste of overripe bananas and pecans in sponge form melted in her mouth… As a below-average cook at best, her taste buds weren’t all that reliable. But in her famished state, it was the best thing she had all day.

Crumbs fell on her chin and cheeks, but she did not care. What mattered was that the deprived monster in her stomach was satisfied... _sort of..._

“Tom,” she said, food still in her mouth, “If it’s alright, can I stop by and,” she swallowed, “ask for — like, uh, uhm — food?”

“Um…”

“Ah, sorry. Forget what I said.”

“No, no, it’s not that. It’s just… we’re staying in Switzerland for three weeks. And our flight is due tomorrow.”

“Real—!” She was cut off by a cough when a crumb went down the wrong pipe.

“Hey!” Tom slapped her back. He held against her mouth a bottle of water and she drank from it.

“Switz—!” she coughed, “—erland?”

He nodded, still rubbing her back until she finally calmed.

“Aww… I want to go there too.”

She could hear Tom talking, yet by that time, his voice was becoming distant.

_“Honeeeeey~!” She hugged him from behind and tiptoed as she held her phone up to his face, “Lookie~!”_

_On her phone were three images taken by a travel blogger. The first one was an aerial view of what looked like a medieval town idling on a winter morning. Snow coated pine trees and cottage roofs. The cottages, though in disarray, had a certain charm to it not found in urban cities; a quaint town untouched by time._

_The second was that of random strangers walking along cobblestone streets and checking out the Christmas Market’s festively-decorated stalls. Though she has set foot there, Samsa could tell that the streets of the Old Town radiated a merry feel to it._

_The third was the Abbey Library. Hailed as one of the most beautiful libraries in the world, with elements of Rococo embedded in its roots. The two-storey library boasted ornately-decorated interior filled with white, gold and a variety of pastel— from its walls to its ceiling to the staircases, and even the bookcases. If one looked up, they’d see an elaborate fresco depicting a large swirling cloud filled with people she didn’t know. She’d have to look up what or who they were._

_“It’s St. Gallen! What do you think?”_

_“It’s beautiful.”_

_“Right?!” She lowered her heels, “Hmm, I want to go there someday. But it’s kinda scary to travel alone and my English is not super duper good either. They might laugh at me...”_

_“Who said you’d travel alone? Let’s save up. After the semester, how does that sound?”_

_She widened her eyes, “Omg, really?”_

_He nodded and gave a dimpled smile._

_Samsa squealed and hugged him tight, “I love you! You’re the best! It’s a promise, okay? Okay?”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“Promise?” She held her pinky finger to him._

_He reciprocated and locked his pinky to hers, “Promise.”_

“...hmm?”

“Huh?” She was jolted back to the present.

“Do you know Seven?"

“S-seven…?” She tilted her head. “As in the… number?” She asked with a slight inflection in tone.

“No, no. It’s his name.”

“Name…? Like his... rapper name?”

“Uh, nope… He’s just an ordinary guy. Pretty cool, though. You never met him?”

She shook her head. It was a large neighbourhood. No way would she know every single resident.

“Ah, figures. He doesn’t get out much. Go,” he gestured to his right, “six houses away from here, then turn a corner. Go straight and you’ll see 7-Eleven. From there—”

She listened intently, mumbling his words verbatim until she committed it to memory.

“Okay, got it! And um, a-are… are you sure I can ask him?”

“Hmm, probably. I don’t know. I haven’t seen the inside of his house, but he has cars.”

“If you’re not sure then… maybe it’s not okay with him. Thanks for the advice, though.”

“Seven and I… we’re buddies. Just tell him my name and he might help you. He’s really nice.”

_‘I can’t just be a beggar… though that’s what I’ve been doing.’_

_“If he won’t believe you, try calling him ‘Jerry’.”_

**o-o-o-o**

“Hmm?” Ray’s brows knitted as he crumpled the candy wrapper

Someone went through two cases his boss was involved in.

He never left his boss’ records completely spotless. Too clean and it would raise suspicion. Despite that, he purposefully left a few traces minor enough to not attract attention. But to be able to reach that far into his scandals...

He tried to trace the culprit, but couldn’t get through their system. He reclined in his seat and pinched the bridge of his nose.

_Strange_. Usually, he would be able to break through a system within a few minutes. Even the most heavily-secured system had holes in them.

After half an hour of prodding, he finally found a hole in the hacker’s system.

The bastard was not simply after his boss’ case; he was after Atty. Jeong’s cases.

“Hmm, I see...” he tampered around with the system, making it impossible for him to get through. However, he decided against hacking the other. He had no interest in finding out the hacker's identity. All he cared about was finishing his job.

“Good luck.”

His stomach rumbled; he hadn’t noticed the time. He forgot that his last meal was lunch with the princess. He remembered her knocking and calling him to eat. He told her he’d come in a minute, but he was so engrossed in his work that... He checked the time; it was past twelve.

_A little midnight snack wouldn’t hurt._

He stood from his seat and made his way out of his room. As he headed to the kitchen, he realized he wasn’t alone.

From the living room, Ayu sat on a couch, feet propped on the coffee table and face covered in a black facial mask. She held a camera in front of her face, making weird facial expressions… _even a duck face._

_‘People actually like these kinds of stuff?’_ His lips curled into a sneer, _‘Get a life.’_

_Ray was not one to talk_ ; he had dedicated his life to hacking and derailing his boss’ rivals.

He decided not to disturb her and simply went back to his original plan of grabbing a quick snack. From his pocket, his phone beeped.

He took it out, expecting a message from Big Boss. And he was right.

Not that he had many contacts in the first place.

_From: Big Boss_

_The package will arrive next week. Observe extreme caution. Don’t let Ayu find out. I’ll inform you once it arrives. As usual, I expect a job well done from you._

_Yes, he absolutely had no right to judge her die-hard fans._

He long-pressed their thread and clicked the ‘Delete’ option.

Watching his boss’ daughter, oblivious to her father’s business and basking in her fame, he couldn’t help but pity her.

Ray didn’t mind lying to her; she was just his boss’ daughter, not a friend to be concerned for. She got that enough from her father. Too much, in fact.

‘What a twisted dynamic,’ he thought, ‘An overprotective father who lies through his teeth, and an only daughter who believes his words without a single doubt.’

For her own safety, yes, but lies nonetheless.

**o-o-o-o**

Luciel grabbed fistfuls of hair as the security system made a loud beep.

_No one said anything about visiting!_

There were times he wished he were Jumin, whom people had to schedule an appointment with just for a 10-minute conversation.

“Uuuuuggghh, what?” He stood and dragged himself to the CCTV monitor screen. He reached the wall behind the monitor screen and opened the secret compartment.

Taking a quick glance at the screen, he did a double-take and pulled his hand away.

_In front of his door and triggering his security system was a pink-haired girl he has never met._

_Close call. He almost let a stranger in. How could he let a stranger in when he forgot to let Yoosung in? Thrice._

But in his defense, he hadn’t slept for five days straight at the time...

He waited, checking to see if his prided invention would successfully scare her away. And it worked. She immediately dashed, far away from the sensors' radar, finally shutting up his security system. 

For the first time in his whole 24 years of existence, he came to a realization— deprived of sleep and patience, his voice can be rather irritating to the ears. Now he understood how Jaehee felt.

_But not enough to stop him. A day without annoying someone rendered him weak._

When the unknown intruder was finally out of the camera’s sight, he fiddled with his security system’s algorithm to change the password. No way would she be stupid enough to return after hearing the word ' _bomb'._ But Luciel still had to make sure. After a few quick tweaks, he went back to where he left off.

At the moment, he only did brief background checks on not only the lawyer but the clients as well.

_The first client he defended was Eunseo Im, aged 45, hailing from Ulsan, and a Sungkyungkwan University Batch ‘94 alumnus. A drug mule, alias ‘Hyunwoo’ was stopped at the airport checkpoint upon discovering 20 kg of cocaine hidden in packets of instant noodles. During interrogation, he revealed his plan to smuggle the drugs to Japan and named Mr. Eunseo Im as the supplier. Mr. Im denied the allegations and filed a lawsuit against ‘Hyunwoo’ for defamation and hired Atty. Kwanghim Jeong to represent him, in which said lawyer requested a jury trial._

_Public defender, Atty. Hyejoo Shin, was appointed to represent Hyunwoo. During the first few hours of the trial, it seemed as if victory was theirs but midway, evidence Atty. Shin was about to present went missing on the day of the trial itself. Within minutes, Hyunwoo admitted to being guilty._

_Hyunwoo was sentenced to three years in prison and 240 hours of community service. Five days after, he was found hanged in his cell. Foul play was ruled out, with suicide by hanging as the probable cause of death._

_Second was—_

Midway, his laptop suddenly made a static sound.

"What the...?"

It finally stopped malfunctioning and went through a forced shut down. He turned it back on again.

Once again, he had to repeat the process again, much to his chagrin. Just because he knew how to hack did not mean he never got tired doing it. Geniuses were humans too.

He tried hacking into his but this time, he was unable to access the system.

_He was caught._

Luciel typed in a few things, but nothing came out of it. Several minutes later, still nothing.

He banged his fist on the table.

The hacker... left the Eunseo Im case alone.

"Wow. Un… believable."

_A hacker that good... would easily be able to take it away..._

Accepting the case was a mistake. He’d rather finish this and get it over with. Why should he go after a man who was suspicious only because of circumstantial hearsays? So far, he was able to take a few records of the lawyer's clients. For the time being, he had to make do. It was better than nothing.

He took his phone and scrolled through his contacts. The secret agents from his agency wouldn’t do; they might track him. He had no choice but to turn to the only one with the right connections.

After a few rings, the other line picked it up.

_“What?”_

“Yoooooo, Stark. How are you? I’m fine! Have you eaten? I have! Honey Buddha Chips are real food. Have you—”

_“Cut to the chase, 707. I hate your stupid voice.”_

“Ouch, my heart.”

_“I’m hanging up.”_

“No! You’re so mean! And this is urgent!”

_“I don’t have time for your useless jokes.”_

“You must! I need your friend!”

_“Huh? Friend? The hell are you snorting?”_

“Your! Friend!” Luciel snapped. _This was no good; he was turning into Vanderwood._

There was an exasperated sigh from the other end of the line, _“It seems my taser wants to see you... Who the fuck would I be friends with?!”_

“I don’t know what I should call her! That ‘damn good’ chick you said before!”

_“Damn good chick, wha— wait,”_ Vanderwood went silent, his breathing near inaudible that Luciel almost thought he hung up.

_“Tanja?_ ”

**o-o-o-o**

Perhaps it was not bad luck, but karma charging Samsa for what past life Samsa did.

What were the odds of going from promising SKY University Forensics Science freshman, Student # 2018-103240 to useless college dropout and homeless beggar?

She had nowhere to go, but all she knew was that she cannot stay in one place. Though her legs were on the verge of giving up, the wallet currently not in her person limited her options to walking. The humid June air clung to her skin. How she wanted to slap past Samsa for taking for granted the university’s air conditioners.

She made her way to wherever her feet took her. If she hadn’t dropped out, she would have been eating or riding the subway to class or studying for the next quiz...

“Please… spare some coins… or food,” she begged literally anyone that passed by her. Although she was able to gather a little bit of money, the most she got were averted stares, curious gazes and judgemental eyes looking down on her. If only she could convert that to money…

A middle-aged woman and a young girl passed by in front of her, yet it was not them that caught her sight but the cookie in the child’s hand.

“Mommy, mommy,” a young girl tugged at her mother’s skirt, “why’s that lady looking at me?”

The mother said nothing, pulling the girl away and quickening their pace.

The sight stirred in Samsa a sense of deja vu. Unwanted memories of the disastrous mall incident came whirling. Jinri’s beautiful face and Jinho’s apologetic expression kept replaying like a broken record.

Samsa tossed her head and pulled her hair to its ends, “Ah! Stupid!” She smacked her cheek, “Stupid!” Then her other cheek, “I hate them! Eff you all! Go to hell, you piece of— UUURGH!”

Her vision began to blur, warm tears that threatened to spill stung her eyes. She sniffed and furiously rubbed her watery eyes with her arm. Her body shook with each suppressed sob. _At 20, she was past the age of tantrums._

More judgemental looks were sent her way.

_‘Stop staring!’_ She wanted to yell, but every time she opened her mouth, only quick choppy gasps came out. She decided to become the ‘bigger person’ and went her way.

**~ ~ ~**

As Samsa walked with no destination in mind, a stern-looking security guard suddenly blocked her with his arm.

“Excuse me, miss. Do you have a visitor’s pass?”

“Eh? A what?”

He scanned her from head to toe, “Do you have a visitor’s pass?”

“P-pass? I... I don’t think so?”

“Sorry, we can’t let you in. No outsiders are allowed.”

“Oh…” She mentally smacked herself.

She looked around her and saw people with similar outfits; blazers, pencil skirts, suits, and neckties.

_Another mental smack_. She felt like a nomad, reaching places she’s never reached, all thanks to her absentmindedness. “I wasn’t trying to enter or anything! I didn’t mean to! I don’t know this place and I’m just a bit lost. I’m, um," she stumbled, "sorry…”

In her lightheaded state, she staggered away.

Her surroundings spun, turning into muffled noises and blurs, before everything faded to black...

...with slim arms catching her the last thing she could recall.

**~ ~ ~**

She opened her eyes and saw a woman’s face above her.

“Oh, good, you’re awake,” the woman scribbled something on her clipboard.

“Umm,” she propped herself up with her elbows, “where am I?”

“You’re in the clinic, dear. You fainted.”

“I... I did?”

“Mm-hmm. It’s most likely from dehydration. Make sure to drink lots of fluids next time. How are you feeling right now?”

“Umm, I feel better, thanks,” she sat straight, “I’m sorry but... I don’t have money with me. H-how can I pay for it...?”

“It’s fine. It’s been paid for.”

“Paid for? How...?”

“Mr. Han paid for it.”

“Mr... Han?”

The doctor nodded, “Yes, Mr. Jumin Han.”

“J-jumin... H-han? Like from C&R International?”

“Mm-hmm. Sweetie, you don’t have any records here and you don’t have an identification card with you. If you could—”

She cut her off, “Where are they?”

“Hmm? They just left recently. Shortly before you woke up. Anyway—”

But Samsa wasn’t listening anymore. A spark of an idea came up. _A dumb idea, but sometimes, the dumbest decisions should not be underestimated._

_Jumin Han… was a rich man with big bills for coins._

She immediately jumped out of the bed, “Thank you, ma’am!” She bowed then ran out of the door.

“Wait! You’re not yet—!”

She ignored her calls and tried to search for the famed businessman. She’d notice him immediately; his face was not hard to remember.

“Excuse me!” She stopped in front of the reception counter, almost losing balance and slamming her hands on the counter. She breathed for air and placed a palm on her chest, feeling her heart beat fast.

“Yes? How may I—”

“Have—” she gasped, “H-have you seen... Mr. Jumin Han?”

“Mr. Han? Oh! He just left.”

Her shoulders slumped, “I see…”

“You might still see him outside though.”

There was still a glimmer of hope. Samsa nodded, “Thanks!” And dashed out of the clinic.

**~ ~ ~**

A black-haired man fiddled with the cuffs of his blazer.

Elizabeth the 3rd must be disappointed in him. Jumin rarely strayed away from his schedule...

“Assistant Kang, what’s the schedule for tomorrow?”

“You have a meeting scheduled at 9:00-11:00 with the Sales Department. Oh, you also have an appointment booked with the CEO of Chen Corporation.”

He nodded, “Anything else?”

“The usua—!” Repeated banging from the windows caused her to flinch. She looked to her right and saw the nameless girl they brought, banging her fists on the window, her incoherent rambles muffled by the barrier between them.

Jumin’s mouth was slightly agape, his dark gray eyes fixated on her. It was the most emotion he ever showed in his whole 28 years of existence; all because of a stranger they brought to the clinic.

“Mr. Han, what should we do?”

Jumin blinked. For a moment, he was caught off-guard but he was able to regain his senses. “Let’s go. We have no time to waste. Elizabeth the 3rd has waited too long.”

And with that, the driver stepped on the gas and the car sped away.

**o-o-o-o**

Her plan to beg money from Jumin Han was a failure. Perhaps she did not bang her fists hard enough for them to hear the misery behind each hit. With that, she has finally reached her last resort.

She stood in front of a two-storey black-and-white rectangular house. It had a wooden panel door, two locked double-hung windows, and a balcony; as nondescript as a simple home could get.

_‘So… this is where he lives… Here goes nothing.’_

She pressed the doorbell and all of a sudden, a flare from the right lit up. The flame extinguished as soon as it began.

_“Intruder! Intruder!”_

She snapped her head to the source of the voice, but no one was there. She darted her eyes left and right; not a soul. She breathed a shaky sigh. The primal fear crept to her body, making itself known. In an effort to calm her racing heart, she took slow but steady breaths. Gradually, the anxiety left her, a newfound determination taking its place.

_"Yoohoo! Intruder! Are you still there? Have you given up? Weak!"_

Wiping her sweaty palms on her shirt, she straightened her posture and held her chin up.

“Oh, you’re mistaken! I’m not—!”

_“Prove your innocence, lowly mortal. Answer the question and God 707 shall spare you!”_

“Huh?”

_“Translate to Arabic—”_

“You’re not Korean?”

_“—nyan cat and the cat cat are banana cats!”_

“I… I don’t know? I like cats though, is that enough?”

_“You have 10 seconds to answer—!”_

“Wait!”

_“—before the bomb goes off!”_

“W-hat?!” She sputtered.

_“10, 9…”_

_Day 1: Fail._

**~ ~ ~**

_Tom was wrong. The Seven guy wouldn’t just help a random stranger. Curse the generation she was in for being too suspicious._

_Scratch that. Curse the generation before hers. Unlocked doors used to be the norm until psychos exploited it._

_“What is the bunggeopang’s best part?”_

“Uh, the… filling?”

_“Engk! The bomb will go off in 10 seconds~!”_

“Wait!"

_“7, 6—”_

“I said, wait! Oh my god!”

_“[1.9193](http://1.0.35.233/)³, 37/10, 3 and a half…”_

She screamed, "Don’t kill me!” She ran away as fast as she could.

_‘I hope 7-Eleven wouldn’t mind me sleeping on the tables…’_

It wasn’t that hard. It wasn’t like she was a perfect student who never slept during lectures...

_Day 2: Fail_

**~ ~ ~**

_“Give the correct answer within 7 seconds and you shall pass, meow!”_ The distorted voice said in a cheery tone, _“What is Longcat’s spine made of?”_

She closed her eyes, nostrils flaring with a slow exhale, “Bones?”

_“Blasphemy! Dis! Ho! Nour!”_

For a boring-looking house, it certainly didn’t live up to its complicated and unnecessary security measures.

_Day 3: Fail_

**\- - -**

“Miss?” The cashier gently nudged Samsa’s sleeping figure slumped on one of the tables.

“Uh, yes?!” She jerked her head up, startling the cashier.

Frantically, she snapped her head left and right. Ever since the incident, she’s been slowly developing her ‘spidey senses’. Before dropping out of university, it took her 20 alarms just to wake up.

“Ah, I’m sorry, Miss! It’s just, uh— we noticed you’ve been sleeping here for three nights already.”

“Oh.” Of course… convenience stores weren’t adoption homes.

She stood up, “Um, sorry, I— I’ll just go.”

“Wait!” The girl placed on the table a plastic bag with a box and four bottles of water inside, “The manager told me to give you this.”

“Oh,” Samsa stared at it, “Thank you, thank you!” She bowed her head, “You’re an angel—no! A literal goddess!”

The girl sheepishly smiled and rubbed her nape, “Eat up, miss.” She turned back and began to walk away.

“Wait!” Samsa stood. The girl stopped and turned to look at her.

"Yes?"

“Can I charge my phone?”

**~ ~ ~**

_Victory was hers._

It was all thanks to the employees. Had they refused, she wouldn't be able to charge her phone and download a PDF file of an Arabic Dictionary.

"Test me."

_“What is..."_

She lifted her chin up, confident that she'd be able to answer it.

_"...707 in binary form?!”_

Her jaw went slack, "You said Arabic!"

_“The great 707 only accepts answers in Deutsch!”_

_Frustration replaced her short-lived bravado._

She clenched her fists, “First Arabic, then binary, now Deutsch?!”

_“Engk! Dishonour! Dishonour on your whole family! Dishonour on you, dishonour on your cow—!”_

_Day 4: Fail._

**~ ~ ~**

_“What’s Elvish for Newton’s apple and monkey’s banana, meow?”_

_Day 5: Fail._

**~ ~ ~**

_“What—”_

_Day 6: Shouldn’t it be obvious by this point?_

**~ ~ ~**

Samsa found herself in front of the same gate.

It may be hopeless, but there was no one else to run to. Her parents and older brother were in America, she couldn’t trust her relatives to not inform her family, and Jinho and her apartment neighbours were out of the picture for obvious reasons.

_“If I say ‘ya’, you say?!”_

_It was hopeless. Why did she even bother trying?_ “Ho!” She huffed and blew a stray hair away from her mouth, “I give up!”

_“Ho~! Correct!”_

_Day 7: Fai—_

_‘Wait, what?’_

_“Welcome to the bestest place on Earth! No… the bestest place in all of the Milky Way! Enjoy your stay in 707 Wonderland nyaaaaa~!”_

She heard an audible click from the door as it opened.

She took a deep breath and took off her shoes, "Sorry," then she let herself in.

As she stepped foot, lights turned on.

_The sight before her... was a disaster zone._

Strewn all over the floor were wrappers of chips and biscuits, crushed soda cans, and unironed clothes. From the corner of her eye, there was a crumpled pair of boxers lying just away from a white laundry basket.

She thought her room was a mess but as it turned out, she had a contender.

From her right, she caught a glimpse of her reflection from the mirror. She scrunched her face at her appearance.

_‘I actually let myself go out… looking like that?’_

Her hair was such a mess, she wouldn’t be surprised to find a family of birds living there. Streaks of grime stained her face, her chapped lips had bits of dried blood on it, and dark undereye circles noticeable even from afar... no wonder she received very little help; she had the harried expression of a lunatic on the loose.

The hunger gnawed at her insides again. She took out her plastic bottle and uncapped it, downing its remaining contents to its last drop. It only provided little relief that instantly faded.

Samsa circled the couch and examined it. Crumbs of what looked like potato chips were in-between spaces. Beige cushions and throw pillows were marred with dark stains. She carefully set aside a few soda cans littered on the couch. Then, she plopped herself down and rubbed the cushions’ fabric.

She craned her neck to check the door and counted to 5. When no one entered, she placed her head on the armrest and lay down. Leftover crumbs were prickling her skin, but after crashing on park benches and 7-Eleven tables, she couldn’t find it in her to care.

_Finally! Something soft!_

She stretched her whole body and wriggled in her spot, albeit limitedly. She giggled, kicking and pumping her fists in the air as she did so. After a while, she stopped and stayed still. She closed her eyes and took rhythmic breaths.

Minutes pass and Samsa was slowly losing grip of the present. Somehow, she was still able to pull herself out everytime she noticed.

_When will he come?_

Eyes fluttered to a close and head lolled as she drifted to unconsciousness, then back out. This went on for who knew how long… with her stamina and phone drained past 0, she lost all sense of time.

And for a week, that had been her new life.

**~ ~ ~**

Something cold lightly nudged her forehead, “Hey,” the voice was masculine and slightly nasal, but it was far from intimidating. Sense of urgency: unnecessary.

She moaned and shook her head, _“Corpus… delicti. Body of crime. The essence...”_

“Hey,” his voice was laced with irritation. The presumed man prodded her forehead, with—she assumed— the cold object from earlier, and twisted it as if screwing an imaginary bolt through her head.

“Ow,” she frowned and shook her head. She slapped it away, her hand coming in contact with his, _“Year 19...bla bla chuchu. DNA… important piece of Forensic evidence.”_

“Dear Lord, whatever this woman’s smoking… I don’t want it. And it’s 1986. 1987 if it’s in America,” the unknown man sighed exasperatedly and yanked the pillow under her head, causing her head to slump down, “Hey!” He called much louder this time.

She groaned and slowly opened her eyes, “Y… yeah…?”

With her vision still hazy, all she saw was a blurry figure. She rubbed her eyes, trying to remove the sleep from them, but the sound of a click made her halt. She felt a chill run up her spine.

_Something felt off..._

When her sights cleared up, she raised her head to face the stranger. Upon meeting his eyes, she felt her throat close up.

“What are you doing here?”

_Standing over her was a young redheaded man holding a gun to her head._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Samsa/MC5  
> Ayu/MC2  
> Sienna/MC3
> 
> If you reached this, thank you for reading! If it isn't too much of a bother, reviews and kudos would be highly appreciated hueheuhue
> 
> Comments make this writer's heart go 'tugudug'


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeeey Baeyoung here with a new chapter! There will be a VERY minor mention of a triggering matter. Read at your own risk!
> 
> Unfortunately, this chapter would have no trailer because Baeran lost her stylus T_T rip her stylus.

[ **** ](https://i.imgur.com/V6WME9v.jpg)

A looming tension filled the room, neither one moving nor saying a word. Amber eyes stared down at her, his features devoid of emotion. Heart in throat and face forming beads of sweat, she predicted the last sound she’ll ever hear— the boom of a gunshot shattering through the silence.

****

Samsa backed away, but his hand followed closely, decreasing the distance between her forehead and his handgun. She wanted to stand her ground, but cornered with a gun, such a choice applied only to the suicidal. “What a-are you d-doing?”

“Oho! You’re a mind reader! How did you know what I was gonna ask?”

Gathering her courage, Samsa stood up and pleaded, “I–I can explain, but please!” That same courage faltered when his finger _ever so slightly_ brushed against the trigger. “Can you put that down first? Please?”

Luciel sized her up. The girl stopped just at his shoulders; she was short but not petite, but not heavy-looking either. To him, she was as intimidating as a rabbit.

Eventually, he lowered his gun. It was not a matter of trust or pity. Suppose she did plan on attacking him, that would not be a problem; he could overpower her with zero effort, even without all the physical training he went through.

A sharp exhale escaped her lips as she fell to her knees. Shivering, tears began to spill on her panic-stricken face. “I–I thought I was going to die!”

For now, she was lucky, but she may have exhausted all that luck. Perhaps her breakup with Jinho was what triggered a butterfly effect of bad luck.

She sniffled, “Were...you really...gon...na kill...me?” Convulsive gulps for air made her words incoherent to the ear.

His lip curled at the sight. _Was this beggar guilt-tripping him in his own home? Thank goodness he had the mind to have his walls soundproof._

“A–and… why do you...have that? Is that even...leg...al?!”

“Oh, we’re talking about legalities now? If that’s the case, is trespassing even legal?”

“I… I wasn’t..!”

“You’re not?! Trespassing does not mean entering and breaking into others’ properties? Wow, my whole life has been a lie!”

“You don’t... understand! I had no choice...!” With the back of her hand, she wiped the snot from her nose. “I don’t know who to... go to anymore! My family won’t do, my ex just... broke up with me, I can’t go home! I can’t ask my friends! It’s too... embarrassing!”

“Wait, so you’re saying…This situation isn’t?”

“I mean, it’s not just... that! I’m not... super duper close with them.”

“And we are?” Luciel gasped, bringing a hand to his mouth in pretentious astonishment.

“We can... be... if you want to...?”

“Ho," he hummed in sarcasm, "good one! You’re funny!” 

“Thanks?”

His face went blank at that.

“Aight, joke’s over." He yanked her by her arm, earning a wince of pain from her. “Get out.”

He forcefully tugged at her arm, trying to drag her out of his home. Not one to give up, Samsa used all her weight to stay rooted to her spot, ignoring the growing pressure from his grip.

“No!”

"How shameless can you be?" He growled through gritted teeth.

"No! Let me go!"

“If you say so!” He released her arm without missing a second. Losing her balance, a yelp escaped her mouth as she crashed down on the couch.

Flinching, she propped herself up by her palms. She took a look at her arm and saw a forming shade of red where his hand used to be.

“Aahh… that hurt,” she whimpered, gently rubbing the sore spot. She snapped her eyes at him, mustering all her annoyance through her glare.

Seven, however, was far from threatened, simply raising a brow in reply. ‘ _Th_ _e audacity of this woman is beyond what my genius' mind can comprehend.’_

“I’m calling the police.”

“No!”

“Oh? How about your parents, then?”

“Anyone but them!”

Humming to himself, he repeatedly tapped his lip as if he were thinking about it. This caused her hopes to rise a bit. _He might agree!_

He then nodded. “Mm-hmm! Okay!” He took his phone out of his pocket and began tapping the screen. His next words crushed what little hope she had. “I’m calling the police.”

“No!”

“Hello? Yeah, someone broke into–AGH! HEY!” He lost hold of his phone when Samsa jumped to her feet and yanked his elbow down.

She dove for the phone and reached for it before he could, backing away when she finally caught it.

“Don’t believe him! He’s ly—huh?” 

She could not help but feel… annoyed when she should have been relieved.

“It’s not even on! You tricked me!”

“Yeah! Aren’t I nice?! Now get out while I still am!” Taking large strides, he yanked her up once again with much more aggression than before, dragging her by her wrist. When it was clear she would not budge, he released her wrist. He roughly rubbed his hands against his face. “Fine, I give up.”

_‘Phew… Thank goo—’_

“Hey, hey! What are you doing?! Let go!” 

Without warning, he had lifted her over his shoulder as though she were a mere sack of rice. 

“Put me down! Put me down! Put! Me! Down!” She thrashed in her place, banging her fists on his back and wildly kicking her legs.

_‘Aaah! This is so humiliating!’_

“It took me so much effort just to get in! I’m really hungry and tired and my back hurts and I want my butt on something soft! If not, can I at least have some money? Just enough for a cheap motel or something! I...” She trailed off at the thought of a cheap motel, cringing at what she imagined the place will be— her in a musty room with cockroaches crawling all over the place, and then waking up to one of its kind slowly creeping on her lips; rats are drinking in the bathroom with floors stained in sticky pee, and toilet bowls overflowing with viscous brownish-green liquid….

“Wait, are you gonna throw up?! Ah! Fine!” Left with no choice, he put her down and fumed, “Ah, such a hassle!”

An awkward silence passed between them. No one was fighting back anymore… but no one was giving up either.

“Is…” She began, “Is it okay if I stay here?”

“No.”

_Motel it is._

She gulped. This was her new life; she had no choice but to suck it up. “Then, can I have money?”

“No.”

“Can I have some coins?”

“Sorry, I don't have coins.”

“Big bills are fine.”

“Haha. You’re funny,” he deadpanned.

“I swear I’m not a bad person! I don’t have any bad intentions! Cross my heart, hope to die!”

“Why didn’t you say so?!” He slapped a hand over his forehead. “I’m convinced!”

“I’m serious!”

“Yeah? Prove it.”

_Lately, she’s been finding herself using last resorts._

To his utter confusion, she knelt down and took his hand, trapping it between her own. Desperation had driven her to do such a dirty tactic, but she had no choice; since the beginning of time, dignity was of no importance to survival.

_And if there was even an inkling of truth in Tom’s words, her plan might work._

“Hey, what are you doing?! Let go!” He tried pulling his hand away from hers but she was persistent.

Looking straight into his eyes, she tried her best to look as pitiful as possible. After all, her appeal to pity used to work on Jinho.

“Please, please, please!” She tightened her grip on his hand. “I’m not usually like this! Actually, I’m not even like this! Do you think I like losing what little dignity I have?! No! Why don’t we exchange lives, huh?! Lend me just a bit of money while you get my—uh... whatever! It’s not like I wanted my major! It’s not like I wanted him to dump me! Am I ugly?! Am I boring?! Am I replaceable?! Why?! It’s not like I wanted to drop out! And I can’t tell my pare-nts the truth but I also don’t wan–na lie to them! So I’m kinda waiting for the right moment but that’s not the dilemma right now! It’s not like I wanted to walk aro–und and be a murder witness and now I have a red target sign behind me and I can’t even and I think they’re still af–ter me so yeah why don’t you try putting yourself in my shoes?! I didn’t want any of this! I—”

Even her voice cracks did nothing to stop her. She babbled on and by this point, Luciel was unable to follow. The girl rambled on and on, she might as well be a rapper. That would have been a better option instead of breaking and entering into other people’s properties.

“And I don’t even know! Don’t you know how scared I was—!”

“Ah! Fine! Fine!” He threw his hands up in frustration. Her barrage of nonsensical rants put him off enough to cut her off. “You can eat! Just shut up!”

_It was not so much an appeal to pity as it was an appeal to annoyance._

Her face lit up in glee. “Really? You really mean it?! Oh my gee, thank you, thank you! You’re so nice!” She released his hand and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Luciel’s eyes widened, “Hey! Get off! Are you a monkey? And you talk like those insufferable, obnoxious, fussy college girls!” He shook her away with his leg, but in her overjoyed state, she paid him no mind. Instead, she expressed her unsolicited gratitude by squeezing him tightly in her embrace, swaying side by side as she did so.

_Money is not the only thing she lacked; she has absolutely no sense of personal space._

Rolling his eyes, he pressed a palm against the back of his neck. “Gah, my blood pressure! Do you want to eat or not?”

Immediately, her eyes snapped open and she jumped to her feet. “Yay! So! What do you have?”

“Ugh, come with me.” Grabbing her wrist, he pulled her along with him. “You might steal my stuff.” 

“I’m not a thief….”

They reached what seemed to be the kitchen area.

“Sit.”

A frown appeared on Samsa’s face just as he turned his back to her. _Tom said he was nice…._ Perhaps her definition of ‘ _nice_ ’ was different from Tom’s. 

Nevertheless, she headed to the table. Pulling the chair back, she sat and muttered to herself, “I’m not a dog.”

Propping her elbow on the table, she rested her chin on her palm. Samsa decided to observe her… _potential friend?_ Although judging from their short _‘interaction’_ , that did not seem to be the case; however, she also did not want to use him as a piggy bank of sorts… so the least she could offer was friendship. Granted, it was not 100% genuine so perhaps….

_'Hmm, friends with benefits? But not in that way, more on literally benefiting? Ah, but I’ll be the only one to benefit.…'_

“Parasitism? Hmm—ah!” She snapped her fingers and whispered to herself. “Commensalism!”

The next thing that caught her eye was his red hair—messy, unusual, and striking, especially compared to Jinho’s black. 

_Unkempt hair has always been her weakness. If only he wasn't so mean..._

Then, she imagined Jinho standing next to him. At 6’2”, Jinho towered over almost everyone she met, and Seven was not an exception. He was not particularly tall— average, perhaps. If her imagination could be trusted, Seven stopped around Jinho’s ear. 

Samsa vigorously shook her head; her first time meeting a stranger and she was already comparing him to her ex-boyfriend.

When Tom told her about Seven, she expected someone in his early 30s to 40s, mainly because he told her about his _"_ many cars _"._ People in their 20s rarely reach that level of wealth, unless they were conglomerate heirs like Jumin Han.

Samsa pouted at the memory of Jumin Han’s car speeding away. _Wasted opportunity._

Seeing Seven in person, though, he seemed to be near her age. He also did not seem like the business-type. Sure, she did see about 10 computers lined up on their way to the kitchen, but his house, though spacious, was not a mansion. _He also seemed to be living alone... usually, rich people have maids so…._

_If he was the filthy rich type, his house should have been spotless._

_‘Well,'_ she snorted, ' _it's not like my room is organized either lol.'_

Samsa, a rich kid who rarely did the dishes or made her bed, had no right to talk. To be fair, she has been living alone since she started university, and coming from a well-off family, she left all the basic skills to others.

_Hence why she’d be the worst hobo._

Seven came back with a plate in hand, setting it down in front of her. “I don’t go to the grocery often so this is all I have.”

She dipped her head and beamed, “Thank you for the food!”

She greedily took the sandwich into her hands and bit into it. There was satisfaction in her face at first, until her face slowly contorted into a grimace. _This minor detail did not go unnoticed._

“What?”

“Hmm....” She tilted her head, slowly munching on her sandwich before swallowing. “The chicken tastes kind of dry, and I’m fine with mayo but this one’s a little too sweet. What brand is this? This doesn’t taste like Kewpie. Do you have Kewpie?”

_She may have met her downfall, but habits before that were already deeply ingrained in her._

Luciel blinked. _Was she forgetting that he was the owner of this house?_ _That she was a beggar and he was a saint doing her a favor?_ It was only their first meeting, yet she managed to surprise him in more ways than one. _First impressions last… and she was not doing a good job at it._

“You don’t want it? Fine, suit yourself,” he fumed as his hand reached for the plate. “I’ll throw this now.”

“Ah, never mind!” She grabbed the sandwich from the plate. “I… I guess this would do,” she said, taking a hesitant bite. _“_ Y-yuuum! _”_ She held a thumb up, looking like she was about to cry.

“If you’re that grossed out,” Luciel said as he sat across her, “just eat and don’t say anything. You don't have the right to be so fussy when you're the one who's causing inconvenience. ”

For a few minutes, they sat in silence—the pink-haired girl being busy with her food and Luciel occasionally glancing at her. Seeing as how she was not complaining anymore, he assumed the hunger must have gotten to her.

“So, um,” Luciel cleared his throat, prompting her to look at him, “how’s your….” He gestured to her arm.

“Hmm? Oh, this?” She glanced at her arm then showed it to him. “Still the same! See! No bruise!”

“Ah, that’s… good….” He nodded.

Silence took place again. What was there to talk about with a stranger that rudely barged into his house? Obviously, there was nothing to catch up on.

“Okay! Let’s get straight to the point,” he said. "How did you get in?”

“Hmm?" She took time chewing her food, then swallowed. “Through the door?”

_‘Are you for real?’_

He sucked in a breath, slowly letting it out. His hands immediately went to rub his temples. Had she not been a helpless girl, he would have already shot her for shameless intrusion. The law would not be a problem; she was trespassing and he had every right to immobilize her by shooting her. 

“So do you just barge in on other people’s homes? You need to get a new hobby.”

“Nope. This is my first time doing it. Desperate times call for desperate measures. By the way, you’re Mr. Seven, right?”

He furrowed his brows. _He could not recall ever introducing himself._ “How did you—”

“Or do you, like, prefer ‘Jerry’?”

“Jerry? Wha—?” Realization sunk in. The puzzle pieces were coming together. 

_'Tooom, I know we're friends, but friends sometimes kill each other, riiiight?`_ If he had said that out loud, he would have sung it through gritted teeth.

“My name is Samsa!” She extended her hand out to him and grinned. “Nice to meet you!”

His eyes shifted from her face to her outstretched hand. There was hesitation in his part, but she seemed to not care.

_‘Well… it’s not like we’ll meet again.…’_

Sure, she may have been annoying, but… not everyone gets to meet a picky and self-entitled beggar. This has got to be the weirdest experience in his life… and that is coming from a private investigator. At the same time, he figured it would make for a good ice breaker in the future.

Eventually, he took her hand.

“Jerry is reserved for Tom. Just call me Seven.”

**~ ~ ~ ~**

_One meal, then never come back_ — that was the deal. But for some reason, what was supposed to be a quick stay extended to 3 hours.

Luciel snuck a glance behind him; sure enough, the Samsa girl was still sulking on the couch, with knees hugged to her chest and a thousand-yard stare.

_‘So she can be quiet.’_

Despite telling her not to bother him and leave him be, she still pestered him with useless questions.

_“Sooooo....” Samsa sat behind him. “What do you do for a living?”_

_“None of your business.” Luciel continued typing, trying to access the mysterious hacker’s whereabouts once again._

_“Hmm, well then, how old are you? I’m only 20 and I’m still in college. Well, at least I used to be.”_

_“Twenty-four. Now stop bothering me. I’m busy.”_

_“Hmm, you’re typing codes and stuff now. Are you a programmer? But I saw you reading newspapers too. You’re a journalist, aren’t you?”_

' _Reading newspapers doesn't immediately make you a journalist.' He rolled his eyes. As much as Luciel tried zoning out her voice, it still overlapped with his concentration._

_“Oooor maybe you just like reading crime stuff? Ermehgersh, we’re the same! I like reading them too! I listen to those kinds of podcasts and it’s soooooo creepy but soooo interesting! Sometimes I kind of, like, get paranoid and stuff since I’m, like, alone, but yeah!”_

_If he was facing her, would she have stopped after seeing the forming frown on his face, or would he have to slap all words right out of her face with the back of his hand?_

_“Is Seven your real name? That’s pretty weird. Ah, ah! Don’t get me wrong! It’s weird, but, like, in a good way! Unique!”_

‘ _Will this girl ever shut up?’ He loudly tapped the keys in an attempt to at least drown out her high-pitched voice._

_“Is your hair colour natural? Or did you dye it? I dyed mine! Do you think it suits me? They say it suits me but I’m not sure if they’re just being polite. Hmm, I wonder if red would look go—”_

_Seven slammed his palm on the table, earning a flinch from her._

_Without facing her, he snapped, “I’m not sure if you’re deaf, dense, or if we just don’t speak the same language. Can’t you see I’m doing something?”_

_This brought a dejected expression on her face. “But I… You gave me food and I–I’m just trying to be friends and… you… know….”_

_“You’re funny. Bold of you to assume I’d do the same.” Placing his headphones on his head, he raised the volume to its maximum. It was a bit painful to his ears, but it would be more painful to lose his sanity. He turned away from her, continuing where he left off._

_“I… see? Hmph. Rude." Unfolding her legs, she stood, sticking a tongue out at him before leaving._

_And with that,_ _Samsa dragged her feet towards the couch, making faces and mockingly mouthing his exact words along the way._

_He glanced at his phone and huffed_. _Perhaps another bold assumption of hers? She failed to take into account the CCTV footage connected to his phone._

She was not that bad, but… he still found her annoying. Not to mention, nosy and whiny.

Sneaking a peek at her, he took out his other phone and tapped his camera app. Tilting his phone in an angle enough to include them both, he snapped a photo—him with his cheeks puffed and eyes crossed and her in the background, oblivious to the candid shot.

  
  


_\- - 707 has entered the chatroom - -_

_[707 sent a photo]_

_[707: A beggar just broke into my house and asked for bigger bills.]_

_[Jaehee Kang: ???]_

_[Jaehee Kang: I beg your pardon?]_

_[Jaehee Kang: A beggar?]_

_[_ _Yoosung★: ?!?!?!]_

_[Yoosung★: omg why is she there?!?!?!]_

_[ZEN: wtf]_

_[ZEN: are you taking advantage of a lady?!?!]_

_[ZEN: I knew you were a weirdo but]_

_[ZEN: I never expected you to stoop this low!!!!]_

_[707:_ **_NO!!!_ ** _]_

_[707:_ **_I’m the victim here!!!_ ** _]_

_[707: (T_T) ]_

_[707: Comfort me!]_

_[Jumin Han: I’m against living together before marriage.]_

_[Yoosung★: lol what]_

_[Yoosung★: so out of the blue]_

_[Jaehee Kang: Mr. Han… I don’t think that’s the case at all ;;]_

_[ZEN: You’ve been so quiet until now]_

_[ZEN:_ **_Why not stay that way forever??? ^^_ ** _]_

_[Jumin_ _Han: The silent ones are the ones who need to speak up, and the boisterous ones are the ones who need to be quiet.]_

_[Jumin Han:_ **_Again, I'm against living together before marriage._ ** _]_

_[ZEN: (-_-) ]_

_[ZEN: You’re hopeless]_

_[Yoosung★: lololol]_

_[Yoosung★: Seven, I thought you said you had god-tier security system?]_

_[707: T_T]_

_[707: I’m still the God 707 you know!]_

_[Jaehee Kang: Are you sure you’re not just slacking off?]_

_[707: I’m serious]_

_[707: o( > ~ <)o ] _

_[ZEN: What do you even do that you have time for those kinds of stuff?]_

Out of all the RFA members, only Zen was the sole _"outsider"._ Rika may have invited him to join the RFA, but with matters regarding cold cases, she never involved him. Zen was, after all, a famous celebrity; he had enough on his plate, what with the stalkers and all… he did not need extra enemies to go after him.

_[Jumin Han: Hmm…]_

_[Jumin Han: She seems familiar…]_

_[Jumin Han: Assistant Kang]_

_[Jumin Han: Isn’t she the girl that fainted?]_

_[Jaehee Kang: There are quite a lot of girls who faint in front of the building to get inside in hopes of meeting you, Mr. Han.]_

_[Jumin Han: The scandalizing woman who repeatedly slammed on the car window?]_

_[Jaehee Kang: My goodness! You’re right!]_

_[Jaehee Kang: That’s her!]_

_[707: You two met her?]_

_[Jumin Han: The world truly is small.]_

_[Jumin Han: She is interesting]_

_[Jaehee Kang: Why so?]_

_[Jumin Han: I have never seen such a hardworking and dedicated beggar in my whole life]_

_[Jumin Han: Even going so far as to chase cars and invade houses for a penny]_

_[ZEN: I believe Seven said she asked for big bills…?]_

_[Jaehee Kang: Big bills are probably a penny to Mr. Han]_

_[Jumin Han: While I agree that ‘working smart’ is superior to ‘working hard’]_

_[Jumin Han: Her perseverance deserves some praise]_

_[Jumin Han:_ **_She's a professional beggar_ ** _.]_

_[ZEN: Coming from you]_

_[ZEN: It just sounds like an insult.]_

_[Jumin Han: I rarely compliment people unless they deserve it.]_

_[Jumin Han:_ **_She should be proud to receive such a high form of praise_** _.]_

_[Yoosung★: SEVEN!!!!!!!]_

_[Yoosung★: You haven’t answered my question yet!]_

_[Yoosung★: Why is Samsa there?!]_

_[707: you know her name?]_

_[707: You all know this beggar and no one even told me???]_

_[ZEN: Not me]_

_[Jumin Han: You never asked.]_

_[Yoosung★: Don’t talk about her in that way!]_

_[Yoosung★: o( > o <)o] _

_[707: (= 3 =)]_

_[707: I worry about your choice of friends]_

_[Yoosung★: She was in one of my classes!]_

_[Yoosung★: We were partners for a project thing]_

_[Yoosung★: Although I haven’t seen her in class lately]_

_[707: Why’s that?]_

_‘Not attending classes? Ah….’_

He vaguely recalled her saying something about _"dropping out"..._ he considered telling Yoosung, though he decided against it; it was not for him to tell.

_Also, what is it with SKY University accepting students like that woman and Yoosung? As far as he knew, it was the top university of the country known for its prestige and high standards… so how come they were there? Well, Yoosung, he could at least understand, since he used to be a hardworking student before LOLOL..._

_[Yoosung★: not really sure]_

_[Yoosung★: But she’s a nice girl!]_

_[Yoosung★: Pretty, bubbly, friendly]_

_[Yoosung★: tbh I had a crush on her]_

_[Yoosung★: still kinda do ehehe]_

Luciel was not sure what to make of that. He knew his best friend had a preference for cute girls out of his league and…

He took another quick look at her; yes, she fits the criteria, still… just because Yoosung was desperate did not mean he should settle for a… trespasser. A cute trespasser was still a trespasser.

_[Jaehee Kang: I don’t think that’s relevant information]_

_[707: Yoosung my boy]_

_[707: i worry about ur taste in women]_

_[Yoosung★: (T o T)]_

_[707: Honestly, idc]_

_[707: for a beggar]_

_[707: she’s very demanding]_

_[707: Anywhoooo!]_

_[707: Defender of Justice, out~]_

_\- - 707 has left the chatroom - -_

“Okay! Time’s up!” Seven’s loud voice brought Samsa back to reality.

He placed his hands to his waist and bent back. In just one stretch, he was able to let out a couple of loud cracks. “Ah! That’s the spot!” he sighed with satisfaction.

“You’re... done already?”

“Yeah. Ugh, soooooo tired! I think I’m gonna sleep.”

“But you haven’t eaten yet. At least eat before going to sleep.”

He looked at her in bewilderment, “I don't aim to be a sumo wrestler... plus, I get nightmares when I sleep after eating.”

“Hmm, at least a glass of milk?”

“Nope.” Averting his eyes, he cleared his throat. “Okay, you can now leave.”

“Oh….” Dejected, she unfolded her legs and stood. She was aware of the minuscule chance that he would change his mind but still… she clung to that minuscule chance. “Alright.” 

She looked up at him and muttered pitifully, “Thanks for the food. I promise I’ll repay you next time.”

“No need." He grabbed her shoulders, then spun her around, pushing her out the front door. “Just don’t come back.”

“Wait—”

He slammed the door in her face.

**o-o-o-o**

“What the?” Luciel blinked, once, twice, thrice… _His eyesight must be deteriorating._

He removed his glasses, breathing on the lens, and wiping it. Putting it back on again, his sights cleared, but….

“Tsk. Does she think this is an orphanage?”

This time, however, the Samsa girl was not triggering the security system anymore. Instead, she was just… _sleeping outside his front door._

“Don’t you have any friends? Tsk….”

Taking one last glance at the security feed, Luciel grumbled, and let out an exasperated sigh, “Ugh, do what you want.”

**~~~~**

“Thank you! I swear I’ll really repay you soon!” Samsa threw the empty styrofoam in the trash can. “Your manager is so nice!”

“Oh, it’s not the—” The girl elbowed her male co-worker and widened her eyes at him.

At first, the male co-worker did not seem to understand; the girl had to frustratingly mouth the words to him.

Samsa furrowed her brows; it looked like it involved her, but she could not make out their silent message. She did not know what her talents were—or if she even had one—but what she did know was that… lip reading was not one of them.

Eventually, he picked up. “Uhhh, yeah! The manager says, uh… You remind her of her... daugh...ter? Daughter? Daughter.”

“Daughter?” Samsa asked.

“Y-yeah, yeah!”

“Ooh~ If that’s the case, I want to meet her sometime!”

“Y-yeah! She’d like that!”

“Anyway, I’d better get going now,” Samsa bowed and smiled. “Thanks so so sooooooo much.”

“By the way, why don’t you sleep here anymore?”

“Oh. It’s just... I feel like I'm scaring the customers… and I found a place to stay. Although, I cannot get food there… it’s a long story,” she faked a giggle. “Anyway, bye bye!” Before they could ask further questions, she waved at them before leaving the store.

She wasted no time with her pace as her feet led her to Seven’s home.

With the loss of her apartment came two new _"homes"._ First was the convenience store. The employees must have thought her pitiful enough to give her food and allow her to sleep. Although she was grateful for their kindness, she stopped sleeping there.

_And this was where Seven’s front door came into the picture._

After her first visit, she kept coming back. Unfortunately, the first visit was just beginner’s luck and the next two days, that same luck never came back. His passwords got harder and stranger so eventually, she gave up and decided to sleep outside his home… _for two reasons._

First, she would attempt another appeal to his pity. It worked the first time… _somehow._

_‘He might cave in….’_

Second, the security system itself was her own safe zone.

Loitering in public was no different from digging her own grave. They found her apartment, knew what she looked like—her short height and pink hair alone would be her undoing.

It did not matter if she could not enter Seven’s house anymore; as long as she was close to it, her chances of survival would increase.

_This was her new normal._

Finally arriving at the front door, she plopped down on the floor and lay down on the cold ground. She curled up into a fetal position.

And just like the night before, the cold night air embraced her. She shivered in her spot. _This was her new normal._

**~ ~ ~ ~**

“Hmm?” Samsa slowly opened her eyes, blinking until her vision cleared.

Samsa awoke with her body covered in a layer of cold sweat. Teeth chattering, she tightly wrapped her blanket around….

_‘Blanket?’_

She sat up, leaning against the door, studying the night sky-themed blanket wrapped around her body—not something she remembered ever owning.

Nonetheless, she rubbed the smooth fabric on her face. She breathed in its scent, letting out a sigh of satisfaction. It had a pleasant smell to it, one that did not overpower, but rather, faintly lingered; it was a subtlety that brought out a sense of nostalgia.

She used to not notice or even care about the tiny details, but now… it was the same tiny details that brought about a sense of comfort—some semblance of the life she once had.

Approaching footsteps roused her out of her reverie along with a strong tobacco scent—an unwelcome reminder of her present situation.

“Tch, what use is your phone if you’re not even gonna answer? Do you want me to render your phone useless forever, huh?” a tall brunette man grumbled. “I swear I don’t get paid enough for this shit.”

The man took a drag on his cigarette, exhaling a cloud of smoke as he flicked the ashes away. The stick between his fingers was barely the size of her pinky; Jinho once said that the shorter it got, the more it stung, as though a burning sharpness clung around his throat.

Samsa watched in awe as puffs of smoke curled into thin wisps of white, eventually dissipating into mere traces. Contrary to popular belief, living life as a homeless witness-in-hiding was not as thrilling as it sounds. Her whole day was spent getting by on free meals, power naps, and having one-sided conversations with Seven—or his built-in security system, rather. Such monotony has forced her to make do with what little entertainment she had, that even the mere sight of smoke had her interest piqued.

“Haa…” With one last drag, the man threw it on the ground, crushing it beneath his shoe.

And that was when he saw her… _and blinked once, twice, thrice…._

The brunette man in front of her had a jacket hanging over his back with black and animal-pattern on the underside. She rarely met anyone brave enough to wear animal prints, and thus she came to a conclusion.

_He was a rich fashionista._

Taking advantage of the man’s confusion, she extended a begging hand out to him, widening her eyes to look as pathetic as possible.

He squinted his eyes, confusion evident on his face. _Was he a friend of Seven’s?_ Could be, but from her perspective, it did not seem to be the case.

Fishing through his jacket’s pocket, he pulled out an opened box of cigarettes.

Like a scene straight out of a drug deal, the man took a quick glance at his surroundings. Without saying a word, he discreetly placed a cigarette stick on her opened palms and… 

_...dropped a few coins inside her half-full water bottle…._

He smirked as though it was the only right thing he did in life. "Lucky to meet such a wonderful guy, no?"

_‘Wonderful…?’_

Bringing the bottle closer to her face, Samsa gaped at her now-undrinkable water. On one hand, she received coins but on another, what little water supply she had for the night went to waste.

_On the bright side, money was still money._

She raised her head, meaning to thank him… _and ask for… perhaps paper bills._

_“Ohoho! Correct, you are!”_

_Click!_

Kicking the door open, the man stormed inside while muttering death threats and profanities, eventually leaving Samsa staring at his retreating figure. 

**~ ~ ~ ~**

“Madam! Wha—Whoa!” Luciel raised his arms in mock surrender. “Madam, what’s this betrayal?!”

“You’re Catholic, correct?”

“Mm-hmm!” Luciel eagerly nodded his head, puffing out his chest to show off his silver cross necklace. “Proud and devout!”

“Start on your good deeds now, so you can at least meet your saints in heaven when I kill you the next time you call me 'Madam'.”

Luciel gasped, “Madam! You’re so bold!”

“Tsk. I guess you’re not afraid of my taser, then. I am this,” he growled as he pinched his thumb and index finger together, “close to tasing you! And next time, it won’t be the taser!”

“Why are you here anyway?” Luciel wiggled his eyebrows as he nudged him with his elbow. “Hehe, missed me?”

“Who in their right mind would ever miss you and your dumpster? I wouldn’t be here if you just answered your phone!”

Luciel tilted his head. "You called?”

“Yes! Why would I even be here? You expect—”

As Vanderwood rambled on, an unpleasant pink caught his eye.

“Shh, shh, wait, wait….” He put his oily finger laced with Honey Buddha crumbs on Vanderwood’s lips, his attention shifting over the brunette’s shoulder.

Vanderwood slapped Luciel’s finger away, spitting and furiously rubbing his mouth, “Get your filthy finger off!”

_Wow._ Luciel felt as though a vein just popped in his forehead. His suspicions were right; there really was someone creeping behind Vanderwood.

He shoved Vanderwood to the side and glowered at the intruder, “You again?!” 

Perhaps this was all an elaborate wounded gazelle gambit—using her innocent features to her advantage, shedding crocodile tears and spouting made-up tales to feign naiveté… Luciel had seen enough cases with the same tactic as hers and often wondered how people still fell for those. Six years as a private investigator deluded him into thinking he was immune to such tricks.

With the way she made him underestimate her and caught him off-guard, he came to two conclusions—either she had the makings of a classic serial killer or he was simply overestimating her.

_Or being a beggar really was a profession nowadays._

“What are you saying?” Vanderwood turned around and unintentionally took a step back from the shock that greeted him. “Whoa! You’re the—” Pointing a finger at her, he shifted his eyes from Luciel to her. “You know her?!”

“Technically, yes, but truly no?”

“That doesn’t answer my question!”

“Trust me, I don’t even know the answer myself!”

_“_ I’m not… feeling so… well _,”_ she said with a slur.

“That’s not my—con… cern….” His words faltered at her downcast expression.

“Please?” Her lips chattered, shivering, and wrapping the blanket tighter around her body.

Unlike their first meeting, she was not arguing anymore. It looked as though she would give up after one more rejection… that certainly worked in his favour.

Luciel sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Fine, you can stay. But not too long okay? Ugh….” He stepped aside to give way.

He was not _completely_ heartless.

“What?”

_Yes, Luciel also had the same question as Vanderwood._

“Th-thank y-you,” she stammered after bowing weakly.

She walked past him and slowly made her way to the sofa, moving carefully with a slight wobble.

To make sure Samsa would not eavesdrop on them, Luciel dragged him towards the computer area.

“So,” he went back to where they left off, “Madam—”

“Don’t call me that.”

“—what brings you to my humble abode?” He asked as he plopped down on his swivel chair.

Vanderwood let out an exasperated sigh. Crossing his arms, he answered, “Tanja.”

_“Ho.”_ A corner of Luciel’s mouth lifted up into a smirk as he spun the chair, well aware of how Vanderwood’s death threats over the past year were all in vain. To be more precise, the older man only continued doing so from force of habit. Luciel preferred to see it as Vanderwood’s own twisted form of tough love. “What did she say?”

“She’s unavailable right now.”

Luciel’s shoulders immediately slumped, putting his foot down to halt the spinning. _Too tough._ “Aaww, why?”

“Ongoing mission.”

“Whoa! So she’s a slave like me? I feel her,” he wiped an imaginary tear and sniffed.

Vanderwood rolled his eyes. “You? Slave?" he mocked, "Don’t make me laugh. She said she’d help but only after her mission. That’s... if you’re still up for it.”

“Yes, please, thank you! Praise Jesus, hallelujah!” Luciel said, doing the sign of the cross. On his own, he would not be able to finish it by his preferred deadline, so he would gladly take any help he can get.

_‘Me? The great Luciel, God 707, Defender of Justice, groom of Elly, and perfect Mr. Han’s son-in-law? Seek help? Impossible!’_

That was what he would have said before clashing skills with the anonymous hacker.

And by help, meaning he’d pass onto her the hacker case; he had plenty enough on his plate. With her skill—less than the Defender of Justice, Luciel, of course—and with a bit of effort, she’d catch him in no time! Not to mention, that faraway vision of all the piled cases waiting for him finally solved… just within arm’s reach.

_Tanja better finish that case so he could finally focus on the case with ease and finally hand it over to Jumin… with Elly as a reward. And another baby to his collection, preferably a Mazda MX-5 Miata. Well-fed, of course._

_‘No Elly, no baby, no solve-y.’_

He sniffed the air. _Was there something burning? It’s not like he was cooking—Oh._

His eyes almost bulged out of his sockets. He then stood up and bolted straight to the kitchen.

“Ugh!” He switched the stove knob off while waving a rising cloud of white smoke, only to recoil his hand from its moist heat.

Grabbing a tattered oven mitt and a spoon, Luciel mixed the soup, searching for anything suspicious floating in it. So far, it looked edible, but considering it was just instant _ramyeon,_ he wondered how lethal of a cook someone must be to mess it up.

_It was supposed to be his first meal for the day but...he might have to cook another one._

Complain all she wants about how cheap he was to offer instant noodles for a guest, but he was actually doing her a favour. _Trust him, aside from instant food, she would not want any of his cooking near her mouth._

**~ ~ ~ ~**

“Wake up,” Luciel said as he stopped by her sleeping figure, lightly kicking the couch she lay on. “Dinner’s ready.”

“Hmm? Later…,” she mumbled groggily without opening her eyes, before pulling her blanket over her head.

In turn, he yanked the blanket from her, then threw it to the side. “Wake up.”

She mumbled something incoherent—even if she speaks clearly, only gibberish ever comes out of that mouth of hers that trying to understand what she just said would have been pointless.

“Hey… are you…?” He touched her sweaty forehead while feeling his own at the same time. He felt a drastic difference in temperature between the two.

Now that he noticed it, he realized her face was flushed beet red. She was shivering, yet her face glistened with beads of sweat. 

“Tsk, hassle,” he picked the blanket up from the floor, then carefully lay it over her body.

**~ ~ ~ ~**

“Hmm?”

An aroma strikingly similar to chicken soup gently coaxed her out of her slumber. She slowly opened her eyes and was met with Seven’s amber eyes staring back at her.

“Good, you’re awake.”

“Umm,” she tried propping herself up with her elbows but was too sluggish to support her weight.

Pitying her struggle, Seven helped her up, “Careful. Don’t strain yourself.”

Once she sat up, he placed a bowl of noodle soup over her lap, “Eat up. And take this,” he handed her a white medicine tablet, “once you’re done eating. Understood?”

_Was she dreaming or was her feverish state playing tricks with her mind?_

She nodded. 

“Here,” he placed a pair of chopsticks above the bowl. “Get well fast so you can get a job.”

_Ah, she was awake indeed._

**~ ~ ~ ~**

Peeking over his shoulder, he looked at her sleeping figure. She has not said one word of complaint at all that he wondered if she really was the same shameless beggar that broke into his home.

“I’m starving. Do you have anything edible here?”

Hovering above the hacker’s head was a lightbulb only the _great Defender of Justice_ could see. “Stark.”

“Well? Do you?”

Twisting back, Luciel faced Vanderwood and steepled his hands, an action that only deepened the scowl on Vanderwood’s face. “I have an offer to make.”

“I won’t clean your house if that’s what you’re implying.”

“Of course not! Me? Make you sweep? Vacuum? Mop? Who would dare?”

“If you’re not going to give me something to eat, then I’m leaving." Vanderwood turned, prepared to take his leave.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Luciel spun, grabbing hold of Vanderwood’s coat. “Before you leave, I have a favour!”

“Fuck no. I’m not your maid.”

“Please, please, pleaaaaase! I’ll give you a snack!” Luciel was tempted to joke about how he, the great 707, looked like a snack, and that he would gladly offer himself to Vanderwood, or even cross-dress if he did not swing that way. _If only he didn’t need a favour._

“Ugh, this is why I hate coming to your place….” Scratching his head, Vanderwood sighed in defeat, “What is it?”

“I’ll let you borrow my baby, but can you come back tomorrow?”

There was a pregnant pause.

"I get to choose which one."

_Honestly, he had Vanderwood at ‘baby’._

**~ ~ ~ ~**

“Heads up! Rise and shine!”

“Hmm? Yeah?” Samsa slowly opened one eye, seeing Seven standing over her.

“Whoa….” Eyes still bleary from sleep, she lazily sat up, the damp towel from her forehead falling on her lap as she did so. “What’s this? Wait, where am I? How long was I out?”

“You’re freeloading, obviously. Anyway, are you feeling well already?”

“I… I guess. Thank you for taking care of me.”

“Good.”

“But,” she inquired, curiously eyeing the bundle he gave her. Her hands picked the purple blouse and denim skirt. It was slightly crumpled, though she did not miss the scent of lavender which graced her spoiled senses. “What is this for?”

“For wearing?”

“I know that!” She pouted. “Just… why?”

“Why? You stink, that’s why. Now, go! Bathroom’s there!” He pointed a finger towards its direction. “You have 5 minutes before Stark blows up.”

“S-stark?” She stood despite her sleep-addled state.

“Time check, 4 minutes, and 45 seconds. 44, 43, 42... ”

“Huh?” It took a few more seconds before she finally processed what he was saying. “Ah! Okay, okay!” She bowed and quickly scampered away.

“Bathroom’s there!”

“I-I knew that!” She turned and bolted in the other direction.

**~ ~ ~ ~**

A trip to a mall was not _—_ and will never be _—_ part of Vanderwood’s agenda.

“We don’t have all the time in the world,” he groaned, scratching his head in hopes it would somehow relieve him of all the stress accumulating. _There was no more space for stress in his body to the point he could feel it seeping through his soul._ “Aaah, how does that cockroach always get his way?”

There was one reason that compelled Vanderwood to push through crowds of noisy people: _greed_. To make matters worse, it was a task coming from his constant source of migraine.

And for some reason, it was to accompany someone unrelated to a mission or a case—not a victim, suspect, witness, or a person of interest, but just a stranger that _‘stumbled upon’_ the irritating and idiotic hacker.

“Tsk!” 

“Sorry….” A man wearing shades and a cream-coloured bonnet dipped his head.

_Wearing shades indoors… at night?_ Some people really did have a strange fashion sense.

_Blind?_ That did not seem to be the case—he lacked the unsteady gait that the blind usually possessed.

“OMG, these are all super cuuuuuuuute,” gushed Samsa— _why people would name their child a name that rhymes with a Mexican sauce was beyond him._ Vanderwood was of the firm belief that parents who give their children shitty names deserve to have their " _Parent_ " title stripped from them.

_Children were the absolute worst, but there were certain types of abuse he cannot stomach._

“Look!” In her arms, she carried a music box, a purple unicorn stuffed toy, a white cat-shaped mug, and a rainbow-coloured pouch that someone puked glitter on. “I’m not sure what I want.”

“Are you 5 or what? We’re here to buy clothes, not toys. Just pick whatever and get this over with." He picked up a random blue shirt and tossed it to her. “Here, put those back and pay for this.”

“This is for guys! And look! It’s not even my size and it looks so tacky.”

“Say that when you’re not wearing that slob’s clothes. Now pay for it!”

Watching her readjusting her sleeves and skirt every now and then was not the most amusing sight; with 707’s clothes far too large for her frame, he understood, to some extent, why 707 suddenly grew a pea-sized heart.

“Hmph, fine….” Grumbling, she dragged her feet towards the cashier table.

As Vanderwood waited for her to finish paying, he discreetly watched the man who seemed to be following them to all five stores they just passed.

He was not a familiar face, at least from what Vanderwood could remember—not a co-worker or someone related to their missions... someone related to Samsa, maybe?

But that did not seem to be the case. She even bumped his shoulder and apologized, without a shred of recognition crossing her face.

“Done?”

“Yep!” She raised the two paper bags over her head. “I’ll go look at other shops!” Without waiting for him, she ran to a nearby clothes store.

“You—!” With gritted teeth, he sucked in a breath. _She seemed to be enjoying this beggar situation more than she should have._

“Ow,” Vanderwood hissed at having his shoulder bumped. The culprit, walking at a leisurely pace, did not even bother looking back.

_What was it with people bumping into him? These clumsy people need to get their asses off their phones and try working on their coordination._

“Mr. Vanderwood!”

She was out quicker than expected.

“You’re done? Can we get out of here now?”

“Hmm… not yet. I’m going to buy some undies so, uh, you don’t have to, like, come with me or anything! Also, does Mr. Seven have a spare toothbrush or should I buy one? Will he let me buy shampoo and stuff?”

“Whatever, go, go,” he dismissed her with a wave, eyes still peeled on the suspicious man. “Be quick! I’ll leave if you take too long.”

“Oh ehm gee. I can see how you guys are friends….”

“Who’s friends with whom?” His voice started to raise midway from his growing irritation.

Ignoring his question, she rolled her eyes before skipping towards a drugstore.

How strange it was indeed. In his case, it was usually 707 who annoys him, but with 707 and the girl, the situation seemed to be reversed.

Vanderwood was unsure if he should praise her for getting on 707’s nerves… or if she snatched the “ _World’s Most Insufferable Person_ ” title from 707.

“Bathroom, bathroom…”

_He needed to release all the stress building up in his bladder._

**~ ~ ~ ~**

_‘What’s taking her so long?’_

He spent nearly 3 minutes getting to the bathroom, around 15 minutes in line, and another 3 minutes coming back…

_And she still hasn’t come out!_

Impatience almost at its peak, Vanderwood stormed into the drugstore, ready to drag her out, paid or unpaid.

The store wasn’t big nor was it crowded. Surely, spotting her would be easy…

He roamed the whole store and searched every corner. Thrice. And when he thought he had overlooked her, he resorted to searching shelves, counters and even freezers.

_There was no_ _sign of her._

“I’m sorry, Sir, there’s a line—”

“I’ll make this quick,” he leaned closer to the cashier and whispered. “Have you seen this high school girl with pink hair? Has purple eyes… wait, was it purple? No, I think it was pink too? Ah, whatever, she’s around my shoulder, wearing these big-ass clothes. Ah, what else…”

“Pink hair? Hmm, she left earlier! She looked like she was in a hurry. Even told me to keep the change!”

Vanderwood cursed under his breath. _He wasn’t hypertensive, but he might just become one._

“Do you want the change?”

He rushed out of the store, surveying his surroundings in search of anything remotely resembling her. To make matters more difficult for him, it was a Friday night and the mall was swarming with people left and right.

After several minutes of searching, he finally found her and…

_It took all his willpower to stop himself from committing murder._

_THAT. INCONSIDERATE. PIECE. OF…. He looked all over the place for her and there she was, roaming around with another brat._

_He was ready to give her a piece of his mind._

Grabbing her shoulder, he spun her around to face him, yelling, “I thought I told you to stay in one pla—! _Oh._ ”

“Huh?!”

_Same pink hair, same back profile, and same baggy clothing... but definitely not her face_. Vanderwood repeatedly blinked, in hopes her startled features would morph back into Samsa’s dumb face, only to receive a hard slap.

“Do I even know you?!” The girl, who was definitely not Samsa, took a shaky step back.

_How screwed he was right now. He should have learned from the very beginning that accepting favours from 707 only brought bad luck! He better be compensated for all the trouble he had to go through._

Ignoring the stinging cut from where her ring had just scratched, he immediately released her from his hold and ran off.

_Shit. Where the hell has she run off to?_

**~ ~ ~ ~**

_‘I’m sorry, Mr. Grumpywood! Forgive me! Sorry! So—’_

_“Ahaha! You see, my son—”_

“EXCUSE ME!”

The three middle-aged ladies noticed a second too late when Samsa accidentally crashed her body against two of them.

Upon impact, they fell to the ground, releasing their grocery bags in the process. Scattered on the floor were a few oranges that slowly rolled out of the bags, splattered tomatoes, tissue rolls, a shattered bottle of ketchup… the list went on.

“Sorry!” She got back up on her feet, almost slipping on a growing puddle of shampoo before regaining her balance. “Again, I’m super, super sorry!”

Without helping them clean up, she ran as fast as she could.

Her gut feeling was not simple paranoia; _she really did see him stalking her!_ Everywhere she went, he crept close by!

_‘Waaah, sorry Vandy! I don’t wanna die yet!’_

It was not her intention to leave Vanderwood; she planned to go to him for safety, but…

_He was nowhere to be seen!_

_“Watch it!”_ She heard them shout from a distance. _“Ah! Kids these days!”_

With her life at stake, etiquette was the least of her worries.

_‘I’m sorry, Mr. Janitor! I swear your efforts are appreciated and I won’t ever do this again if I survive…!’_

Upon seeing the mall’s exit, Samsa picked up her pace. Those glass doors were her finish line; she must get there before they do. With her poor stamina, the only things she relied on were fear and adrenaline.

_Plan A: Hotwire Seven’s sports car. Though not quite experienced with it—rich kids and stealing don’t go hand-in-hand—it was still worth a try_. _If she does manage to overcome this fiasco, she’d make sure to give 16-year old Samsa a pat on the back for being bored enough to watch hotwiring videos._

_There was still that ever-present problem of driving, but she’d rather deal with it once she actually finds the car. And as for Vanderwood, it may take a short while, but she will definitely come back for him!_

With one finger, she made a quick sign of the cross. _What if they kidnapped him and used him as a hostage? She cannot imagine just what torture they plan to make him undergo. Would they do the Chinese rat torture? Electrocution? Water torture? Tickle him to death? The possibilities were endless!_

The paper bags weighing heavily in her hand bumped noisily against each other.

So with a silent apology, Samsa dropped them all at once, running as she struggled not to look back. As much as it broke her heart to see them abandoned, it made so much noise that at that rate, those men would have no trouble tracking her.

_‘This is a violation of the anti-stalking law!’_

But would informing the authorities protect her? Officers that were present at the scene of the crime were not sent to investigate, but to actually capture her _._ If only she knew which station they were assigned to….

**~ ~ ~ ~**

_Plan to hotwire Seven’s car: Scrapped._

_New plan: Run far away from the mall._

Her plan would have been a success had it only been one person stalking her, but as she scanned the parking lot for any sign of Seven’s car, her heart skidded to a halt…

_The man from the mall had not been the only one. Outside, two of the police officers from that unfortunate night had been lying in wait outside a white van._

_Just how many of them had their boss sent after her?_ _She was just one girl! A college dropout at that! She wasn’t anyone important! Couldn’t he have discussed it with her over coffee?! Why did he have to go through extreme measures?_

The only comfort she took from the situation was that they had not seen her yet. 

_There was no time to cry! She’ll have to reserve her tears for when she makes it out ali—!_

She was suddenly yanked by her arms and hair, rendering her unable to move an inch.

_“YAA—HEL—MMMPHHH—!”_

Her arms were forcefully put behind her back. With her wrists numb from her captor’s tight grip, it felt like its circulation would be cut off at any moment.

“MMMMPHH! MMMMMPHH—!”

Thrashing helplessly in the unknown kidnapper’s hold, Samsa screamed her lungs out, despite the large hand muffling her screams. To make matters worse, there was no one there to witness her demise.

_This was her end. The realization that she would be another faceless death dawned on her. She never expected to live her last moments with regret—regret that she had wasted her last days away at a convenience store and a random stranger’s home when she should have written her family a farewell letter._

A blur of red zoomed past, almost running them over. As it screeched to a halt, relief flooded Samsa upon seeing the sleek red sports car.

The car windows rolled down, revealing Vanderwood’s panic-stricken face in view, aiming a gun towards her assailants. “GET IN!”

“WHO’S THIS CRAZY BASTARD? YOU WANT TO DIE?” 

With Vanderwood’s arrival giving her a dose of courage, she bit the man’s hand hard enough to draw blood.

“AAH!” He pulled his hand away from her mouth. “Crazy bi—HAAH!”

Having his groin stomped twice, his eyes grew three sizes bigger as he doubled over from pain. Writhing in agony, he sent a murderous glare at her retreating figure.

“Boss! Are you okay?!”

“DO YOU EVEN USE YOUR BRAIN? GET HER!” He said, one hand over his groin, and one pointing towards Samsa at the exact moment she shut the car door.

“HURRY!”

Vanderwood stomped on the gas pedal, lurching Samsa forwards as he drove to full speed.

“OUCH! DRIVE CAREFULLY!” Samsa whined as she leaned back and strapped a seatbelt on.

"I can drive carefully if you want them to catch up to us!" he bellowed, sneaking a glance at her frightened form. _How much trouble could a normal girl get into?!_ “YOU! HOW MUCH DO YOU OWE THEM?”

“Excuse—YAAH!” She was abruptly cut off as Vanderwood made a sharp swerve to the left, as well as her head making a perfect swerve on to the window. “OW!”

“DON’T YOU KNOW HOW DANGEROUS LOAN SHARKS ARE?”

“Okay, that’s pretty offensive! I’m kinda rich to, like, even—KYAAH!” Another swerve to the right. “CONSIDER THAT!”

“BUT YOU CONSIDERED BEING A HOBO?!”

“IT’S A LONG STORY! I’LL EXPLAIN LAT—EEER!”

**~ ~ ~ ~**

“Umm…” Luciel intently stared at the two’s haggard states. “I take it you enjoyed your little trip?”

“You think you’re funny?” Vanderwood snapped, nearly slapping him with the glove he just took off. “If you’re gonna make jokes, then at least make sure it’s fucking hilarious.”

“I know I am!” Despite being on the receiving end of Vanderwood’s glares long enough to sense the intent to kill, he could not find it in him to care. _How could he when Vanderwood acting like a grumpy old man provided him with so much amusement?_

In fact, there was a recurring thought that would pass by at the most random of times. If Vandy were to finally lose it, would he stand a chance? Both underwent physical training, one still involved in shady business, while the other used to be in one….

“It’s not funny! I almost died twice today! I think I even saw the light!” Samsa said.

Vanderwood rolled his eyes, “Those were the headlights, stupid. Be frightened if you see the dark. That's where you're going to anyway. Now quit complaining and explain.”

“I’ve told Seven before but he didn’t listen! There was this building and it was raining! I thought no one was there, but then I heard voices! I thought, maybe I activated my third eye or something?! So yeah, I checked it out and this guy got his freaking head shot and there were, like, blood and brains everywhere, and it was so gory and ew, but that’s not the point, like, ermehgersh! The killer knows I saw him and I dropped my I.D so he knows my face and name and now he wants my blood and brains everywhere too and—HAH!” She gasped, pointing a shaky finger at the two. "Shockers! I dragged you two into this! And there’s, like, one, two, three of us so! Breakfast... lunch.. dinner! Us!” She wailed.

Luciel's eye visibly twitched, “Madam, do you know what she’s saying?”

“No,” Vanderwood answered straightly. He was so confused that he did not bother threatening to tase him.

“Last time I checked, Cassandra was a fictional character! Why won’t you believe me?!”

“You’re really asking that?”

“I’m telling you they’ll feed us to the dogs! And those poor doggies will also die! AAAAHH!” Her hands flew to the sides of her head, clutching it as if she were having a splitting headache. “They have no human rights, no animal rights! Are they even human? How did things reach this point? AAAHHH!”

Unintentionally, she was proving his theory he had of her—that she was a drug addict on a police watch list. As the Defender of Justice, it was only fair to turn her in to the authorities… but justice requires fairness so...

“I’m sorry you guys are in this mess! I didn’t mean for any of this to happen!”

Sitting cross-legged across her, Luciel finally stated, “Apology not accepted. Now, can you start from the top?”

_It was only fair to hear her side._

She sniffled, “O-okay…”

Samsa wiped the remaining traces of tears from her eyes and took deep breaths, “Okay, so everything started when I broke up with my boyfriend. Last week, I think. And—”

“So you’re saying this is all a lovers’ quarrel?” Vanderwood interrupted.

“No, no! I swear, he had nothing to do with this.”

“Then why did you mention him?!”

“It’s relevant, I swear!”

“Fine. Go on.”

She recounted everything, from that fateful incident to their recent escape. It went on longer than it should have been, with Samsa peppering her story with wild hand gestures and unnecessary details about her life before it happened.

“So that’s how I ended up on the streets….”

They were silent for a moment, the two men absorbing her words. Her Valley girl talk and tendency to go off on tangents required intense analysis, much more than what hacking and coding demanded.

Vanderwood broke the silence. “So do you know that man?”

Samsa shook her head. “No. I don’t super remember what he looks like. He looks 50-something and is kinda around Mr. Vandy’s height.”

“Vandy?!”

She ignored Vanderwood’s violent reaction. “Hmm, what else… he is well-built and quite handsome for his age also.”

_At that statement, a brilliant suggestion to drive her out of the house crossed Luciel's mind._

“You should have asked for money from him, then. Hell, you could have told him you won’t say a word unless he pays you in cash! And since he’s old and handsome as you said, you might want him for a sugar daddy! Just wait for him to die and you’ll be set for life.” Seven said, waving his hands with so much exaggeration that Vanderwood was sure he was laying out the most brilliant plan he ever thought in his life.

“EEEWWWW!” Samsa repeatedly hit his chest, scandalized at the mere thought of her smooching a man old enough to be her father.

“I’m just saying!” He snickered, feeling no pain at all from her weak hits.

"I can see how badly you want that to happen," Vanderwood deadpanned.

“I told you!” She gave up, tired and annoyed at how her smacks had no effect at all. The smug look on his face only worsened matters. “I used to be rich before all this! I didn’t need it back then and besides, he’s the reason I’ve become poor in the first place.”

“Unless you earn by yourself, then you’re poor. Your parents are technically the rich ones,” Vanderwood remarked.

She opened her mouth, ready with a retort of just how flawed his logic was, only to reluctantly close it again. _Technically, he was right._

"I think,” Vanderwood began, “you should let her stay for a bit.”

Under normal circumstances, he would have disagreed, but this was far from a normal circumstance. For someone to be involved in a matter of life and death, all because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Okay…”

_Upon hearing that word, she felt an inexplicable joy fill her senses._

“Really?”

_And upon saying that word, Seven couldn't help thinking he made the wrong choice._

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeey guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Gosh, it took a month to write this and emg can't believe I finished this lololol xD
> 
> Anyway, reviews are highly appreciated~! Thank you for reading! ^ o ^
> 
> Notes:  
> Ayu - MC2  
> Samsa - MC5  
> Sienna - MC3
> 
> Slapsoil - slang for "poor person"  
> Cassandra - a Greek mythological figure cursed to foresee true prophecies that no one would believe
> 
> P.S: For anyone wondering, Ayu has glasses here but Baeran lost her stylus before she could draw it on xD


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heeey so this was part of Chapter 4 but I realized 20k is overkill soooo i split it up!

Ayu clipped two braided blonde locks in a half ponytail. Although she preferred a full braid, her chin-length hair forbade her to do so. She sometimes wished she had not cut her hair, but at the same time, seeing herself looking pretty with her new hairstyle tickled her narcissistic side.

But just like the previous times, it took a week before she eventually grew bored with the limited variety of styles she could do.

“Hmm, pink or nude? Red is good too, though?” Ayu shook her head. “No, that’s trying too hard.”

Looking into the mirror, she pictured two versions of herself, one sporting a pink shade, the other with a nude shade. At first, it was a simple dilemma that boiled down to three choices— would she go for a feminine, striking, or a subtle kind of beauty? With the striking red out of the picture, her options narrowed down to a subtle nude or a feminine pink.

Eventually, she set down the other two tubes, settling for feminine, “Pink it is.”

Twisting the cap open, she looked at the mirror and swiped the applicator on her lips. She smacked her lips twice to even the colour out. Once she was done, she placed it back in the tube and twisted it close.

For her last but least favourite part—contact lenses.

_‘I just got your messages~!’_

Ayu switched off the alarm notification. _2:00 P.M._

There was no time for contact lenses. 

“Guess I’ll go nerdy.”

_Sexy was overrated anyway._

Ayu smiled a close-mouthed one before switching to a grin. Satisfied with how she looked, she was ready to go.

**~ ~ ~ ~**

“Ray? Where are you? Ray?”

Bleached white hair hiding from the side of the couch caught her eye.

Ray turned to look at her and slowly rose from his crouched position, “Yes, Princess?!”

“Don’t—never mind,” Ayu shook her head, deciding to let him off the hook just for the special occasion. As grating to the ears hearing the _‘princess’_ nickname from him, it was a special day. No way would she let an annoying nickname sour her mood.

“Looking for something?” She asked, sitting down on the sofa, placing on her feet the newly-bought pair of wedges that her father gave her for her 20th.

“Oh, I was just picking up my pen." He rolled a click pen between his fingers.

“Ah, I see. That’s a lot of pens, though,” Ayu said, noticing how all pockets had four pens of varying colours clipped to each one.

“Oh, well… you see, I noticed I have started to become famous. I picked the pens best suited for signing autographs. Just in case.”

“Oh?” She raised a brow. “How considerate of you. Won’t it be a bother to you, though? You can just bring a single pen,” Ayu said, her curiosity piqued.

“That’s fine! A little signature wouldn’t harm anyone!”

She took a sharp breath before giving a tight-lipped smile. “Is that so?”

_‘A bit rich coming from you….’_

**o-o-o-o**

“Oppa!” Ayu excitedly waved, bouncing on her heels.

A handsome long-haired albino turned his head to her direction and called, “Ayu!” He waved back, motioning them to come over.

“Does my hair look good?” She whispered to Ray.

“Of course, Princess. You’d still look good even without it!”

“Um… thanks, I guess?” Ayu nodded, making her way to their reserved spot, with Ray following exactly five steps away.

Multiple eyes followed their move, but no one dared to get close. With the peaceful atmosphere and customers minding their own businesses, Ayu could not help but feel that their lunch would go smoothly.

“I’m sorry! Did you wait long?”

Zen shook his head. “No! Come on, let’s order.”

Pulling their chairs back, they were about to take their seats...

Ayu paused, wearing a look of plain confusion on her face. Zen, too, had an identical expression on his face.

_Source of confusion—who else could it be but Ray?_

It must have been a strange sight: _three adults, pausing mid-sit with their asses hovering over their chairs._

_What did he want this time?_ Standing straight, Ayu held Ray’s arm and pulled him up. “Zen-Oppa, will you excuse us for a moment?”

“Um, sure,” Zen said, confused, but sat down anyway.

“You can order now! We’ll be back reeeaal quick!” She faced Ray and released his arm, cocking her head to the side and motioning him to come with her.

He nodded, following Ayu as she led him further from the table. With Zen out of earshot and taking a menu from a waitress, Ayu placed a hand on Ray’s shoulder and pushed it down, making him bend to her height, whispering, “Okay, I know **_Dad_** told you to be this overprotective, but I promise to give you a bonus payment later—just please! Sit somewhere else!”

Ayu made sure her smile did not falter. Personal space in public places was a luxury Ayu could not afford. A headline of _"Idol caught mistreating her bodyguard?!"_ would do no good to her image… especially in Zen’s presence.

Ray whispered back, “A bonus payment is hard to enjoy when I'm missing my head.”

_‘You coward. Can you even call yourself a bodyguard?’_

“You don’t have to worry. Just enjoy your date—”

“Shh! It’s not a date!” Blood rising to her face, she darted her head side-to-side, checking to see if someone overheard them. So far, no one noticed.

"And don’t mind me. I promise you’ll forget I even exist! Trust me," he beamed at her with an innocent smile on his lips.

"Does this face look like it trusts you?" she hissed back in a harsh whisper.

Ray studied her face, and for a moment, he thought he was looking at something utterly hideou—

"Yes," he answered briefly.

Ayu eyed him suspiciously. With Ray, she could never be too sure since she learned her lesson from Day 1.

“Fine,” she sighed. “Let’s go back. Oppa must be hungry.”

Heading back to the table, Ayu took slow strides to calm her nerves, gazing longer at Zen who was intently reading the menu, unaware of the attention she was giving him. Even from afar, Zen gave off an aura of unrivaled beauty and charm. Hell, even the way he flipped pages stirred in her tingles of teenage giddiness.

How anyone could look perfect just by doing nothing was something Ayu once thought impossible. But the first time she laid eyes on him, she realized just how ignorant and closed-off her world had been.

She was not alone in thinking that; almost everyone in the room had their eyes fixated at Zen, and not just because he was a famous celebrity. The beauty he possessed was so unearthly, it could leave anyone awestruck.

The closer they got to their table, the more the surroundings blurred for her, and the more focused Zen’s beauty became. Ayu somewhat hated the paparazzis, for despite how perfect Zen looked in every angle, they lacked the skill to capture the breathtaking beauty he possessed. _A disgrace to photographers around the world,_ was what they were to her.

At least the paparazzis’ incompetence worked in her favour, for she was one of the lucky few able to admire his beauty in the flesh

“Sorry about that,” Ayu spoke as she reached their table.

“It’s fine.” Zen handed her the other menu.

“I haven’t introduced you guys to each other. By the way, this is my new bodyguard, Ray! He replaced Mr. Park just a while ago.”

“It’s fine! So, are you ready to or… der?” Zen’s voice faltered at the end.

Confused, Ayu followed his line of vision and frowned. _Can’t he last one minute without drawing attention?’_

Ray, arms crossed over his chest, stayed rooted by Ayu’s right.

“Oh, don’t you want to join Dongwon? You might feel out of place. Look, he’s right there.” Zen pointed to his bodyguard, a tall bald man in a black suit seated at a nearby table reading a menu.

“It’s fine. Just enjoy your meal, Sir.”

“But—”

“Ah, don’t mind him,” Ayu dismissively waved her hand. _They were just wasting their time._ Smiling through gritted teeth, she gave his arm a tight squeeze. “Ray here! He’s just really… reeeaaally… passionate about his job.”

“You overestimate me, Princess!” Ray said, sporting a big smile on his face, intensifying in Ayu an urge to rip it off of his face.

“Ooh, 'Princess'?” Zen said with a playful quirk of his brow.

“Ah! That’s what he used to call his bosses! It kinda just… stuck to him! Old habits die hard, you know?”

_How dare Ray embarrass her in front of Zen? What if Zen found it cringeworthy?_

“If you say so, Princess!” Zen teased. _For some reason, "Princess" sounded far better coming from his lips._ As usual, Zen will always be the exception. “Well then, at least take a seat,” he requested and gestured to the chair beside Ayu.

Ray shook his head. “Oh no. I’ll stay here.”

“You’ll,” Ayu choked, “what?”

“You know, I need to act fast if something happens to you.”

She did not know what potential her father saw in Ray; all she could see was Ray teetering on the fine line between caution and paranoia.

“Ah, you don’t have to!” She forced a smile, shaking her head. Surely, not even he was dense enough to miss her straightforward message.

_‘Seriously. You. Don’t. Have. To.’_

“Oh, what’s wrong?”

Dongwon walked over to their table, then slightly bowed. He stood by Zen’s side, mirroring Ray’s position.

“Oh, um, want to sit with us?” Zen offered, albeit confused.

To Ayu’s dismay, Dongwon shook his head. It was not difficult at all to know what he was thinking—it didn’t matter if his boss said it was okay… why slack off when Ray was performing his job "extra well"?

Ten minutes or so into their date, and things seemed to be going in a direction that strayed from her original vision.

“Hmm, I see?” Zen said. “We’ll order takeout for you after, how does that sound?”

The two bodyguards nodded, mumbling their thanks.

“Okay! Now that that’s settled… Ayu, is there anything you want?”

Humming to herself, Ayu flipped a page. “I’m not sure. Whatever you think is good.”

“Okay! I’ll just order the usual then.” Zen raised his arm, catching not only a nearby waitress’ attention but the other customers' as well.

They must have wondered if their presence was an elaborate endorsement; after all, having two celebrities hanging out in basically any place—from five-star restaurants to junkyards—was bound to bring attention.

The waitress that came over was a young woman, possibly around 18 to 19, with a name tag that says _"Mina"._

“Yes?”

For a second, Ayu was unable to suppress the frown from showing. Once she noticed, she acted fast, quickly replacing it with a smile.

_‘Who the hell does this girl think she is?’_

Being in the entertainment industry made it easy to discern that type of voice—one she heard a lot from girls; it was the voice that made her want to pull her ears off.

Ayu looked in disgust, as the waitress swayed her body side-to-side, bouncing on the balls of her feet and looking at Zen with an awestruck expression.

_‘Please mess up our order.’_

“We’ll have Set C….” Zen showed her the menu, pointing at their order.

The way the Mina girl’s face got closer to Zen’s triggered within her an urge to….

Mina scribbled their order, particularly slow for a two-word order.

_'The fuck are you writing? Your thesis paper?’_

Mina bowed and left their table. With her retreating figure, Ayu’s murderous thoughts were finally put at ease.

“So… about your role!”

Zen’s face lit up. “I’m glad you asked!”

“What’s your role?”

“Okay, so it’s a murder mystery show. Basically, my character is a lawyer prodigy. Something happened in his past that made him into who he is, which I won’t say because it’s a spoiler. So anyway—”

Ayu hung on to his every word, nodding every so often. Not once did she chime in or cut his words off. The combination of Zen’s perfectly-sculpted features, enchanting red eyes,melodic voice, and passion for acting never failed to capture her in a trance.

“I’m sure you’ll do a good job!” Ayu gushed. “Can’t wait to watch it!”

Zen chuckled, “When I first heard the summary, I thought it might be something you’d like.”

“Oh... You thought so?”

“Here’s your order.”

To her relief, a different waiter came with their order. After turning the grill on, he set down two trays of raw meat and plates of side dishes—kimchi, fish cakes, japchae, steamed eggs, and baby potatoes. 

“Order’s complete. Enjoy your meal." The waiter dipped his head, then left them with their food.

**~ ~ ~ ~**

_‘Discomfort by proxy’... was there such a term? If so, that was the perfect way to describe what Ray currently felt, what with all those stares directed at the two celebrities. How could anyone get used to this? It was hard enough to eat with just one person staring, but more than one? He might as well be a zoo animal, then._

Glancing to his left, Ray spotted a group of high school-aged boys five tables away, two of them holding menus in front of their faces, trying to catch a peek of his oblivious boss. Today was a lucky day for those boys, as their idol crush was too busy making disgusting googly eyes at Zen.

“You mentioned you wanted to try acting, right?” Zen asked.

“Oh… yeah. I just wanted to try it out like once, but I’m not really actively looking,” Ayu shrugged.

“Hmm, if you want, the director told me he has a friend who’ll be directing a film! And she’s looking for actresses who can star in her movie.”

“Ooh! What’s it about?”

“Not sure yet. I’ll ask him.”

“Tell me, okay?!”

With another glance to the left, Ray saw that those boys now had phones discreetly peeking out from their menus. _Seriously, who were they fooling?_

Ray shifted to the left, blocking Ayu from their view. Though faced away from them, he could hear them whining how perfect the photo would have been were it not for _“that photobombing tofu”._

_‘You’re welcome, princess.’_

As they got further into their conversation, Ray would sometimes catch the brief frown that rose from Ayu’s face every time Sienna’s name popped in. Zen, however, was unaware of the sour change of mood, for her face would revert back to its over-the-top cheerfulness in an instant.

_Click!_

Ayu’s head instinctively snapped up. “Oppa!” She squealed.

_‘Oppa,’_ Ray almost sniggered at that. _Do girls actually think they look cute saying that?_

“Hmm, what caption should I put?” He sang teasingly.

“Delete that!” She threatened with wide eyes, only for her growing grin to render her threats futile, as though she enjoyed being teased by him.

_‘Get a room, you two…’_

“Why not? It looks cute! See?”

Zen held his phone in front of her, which showed a candid shot of her, mouth slightly open, in the middle of talking and flipping over a piece of beef.

“Cute?” A dust of pink slowly spread on her cheeks as she turned her head away.

“Yeah. I rarely see you with your glasses on. It always looks so new to me.”

“Oh… Maybe I should’ve worn my contact lenses instead,” she pouted, before adding a new set of strips to the grill.

“Nah, that’s not what I meant. I think you look cute with your glasses.”

Her hold on the tong loosened.

_Shing!_

_“Ah!”_ She exclaimed, recoiling as the meat sizzled and spattered oil droplets on her.

Zen took the tong from her, taking over. “Do you disagree that much?” He chuckled at her flustered face.

“O-Oppa! You’re such a joker!” She sheepishly laughed. Without the tong to keep her occupied, she fanned her reddened face with both hands.

_Ray wanted to throw up all over their fishcakes. It was hard to stand there with a straight face… How does Zen’s bodyguard do it?_

Before he could actually throw up, Ray stopped listening in on their conversation. _It’s not like there was anything interesting to take from it._

As for her father, he could finally sleep at night without worrying about Zen stealing his only princess away. From the looks of it, his paranoia was baseless, as it was all unrequited on Ayu's part.

_With a father like that, he pitied any guy unfortunate enough to catch Ayu’s fancy._

“Ooh, I think this is done,” Zen said, switching the grill stove off. One by one, he took each slice and placed them on another plate.

“Hmm!” Ayu gushed as she inhaled the barbecues’ mouth-watering aroma. “This looks so good!”

“Eat up,” Zen said, handing her a pair of metal chopsticks.

“Yes! Thank you for the food!”

She waited until Zen took the first bite. “Is it good?”

“Yep!”

Using his own chopsticks, he pinched a chunk of rice, adding a small slice of pork along with it. “Say ‘aah’!” With a palm below to catch any falling grain, Zen brought it closer to Ayu’s mouth.

_‘What do you think you two are doing?’_

_They were famous celebrities; would it kill them to be more careful? Surely, this would cause a dating scandal! Not only that but a scolding from Big Boss as well._

And Ray could not be more wrong because, from his peripheral vision, he could already see someone pulling out a phone.

_Since the princess ordered him to behave himself for this rather special day, he had no choice but to improvise._

Closing her eyes, Ayu leaned forward and opened her mouth, “Aaaahh.”

_‘You’re not helping matters at all, dummy.’_

Ray moved to her left side, just before she took a bite, hiding her from the photographer’s view before giving the camera a _“little”_ smile— _an apology for ruining what should have been a perfect shot._

But his apology seemed unwanted, as they scowled both at their phone screens and him.

_As if he cared._

“Is it good?”

_Ah, yes. There were two people who cared even less._

“Mm-hmm!” Ayu nodded, simpering, and seemingly disconnected from the real world.

“I’m glad you liked it,” Zen nodded, before facing Ray. “Mr. Ray, you really don’t want to sit?”

“It’s fine,” he shook his head with a forced smile. “I’m not hungry anyway.”

“Hmm, I see. You?” Zen asked Dongwon, who in turn responded with a shake of his head.

_‘Not my fault if you go hungry.’_

_Bzzt! Bzzt!_

“Oh, just a moment,” Zen said, glancing at his vibrating phone. “Sorry. Can I take this call? It’s a bit urgent.” 

“Oh, sure! Take your time!” She nodded.

“Thanks! I’ll be quick!” Zen held the phone near his ear, speaking in a hushed tone as he headed to the bathroom.

With Zen away to take the call, the whole table was quiet. Ayu continued eating without him.

_This was bad. The absence of a tall and handsome guy like Zen to be intimidated by made it easier for average no-name guys to try their luck._

Not even 10 seconds after Zen left, a young man, holding a journal and pen, was heading towards their table.

_How foolish. Even if he wasn’t as tall or breathtakingly handsome as Zen, it didn’t matter. As long as he was stuck by Ayu’s side, the chances of ever coming near her were close to nil._

The date had numbed his mind so much, he might as well amuse himself.

Taking advantage of Ayu’s absentmindedness, Ray sidled to her left, placing a hand behind her and resting it over the chair’s rail.

Ray’s protective stance prompted the young boy to stop in his tracks, looking as though he was having second thoughts.

He flashed the young man a cheeky smile that was in no way welcoming. Put off by the hostility emanating from his smile, the boy’s conflicting thoughts were put to rest, and he finally backed out.

With his intimidation a success, he got back to his work. He straightened his posture, but Zen’s bodyguard had him narrowing his eyes into slits.

_Didn’t he know it was rude to stare? Instead of doing his job, making sure no harm would befall his ignorant rat-tailed boss, he chose to slack off and waste his time giving Ray a judgemental stare._

_Two can play this game._ Ray returned Dongwon’s stare with an irritated one of his own.

He yielded quicker than Ray had expected, as within seconds later, he averted his gaze. 

_What a disappointment as a fellow bodyguard._

From their right, a man slowly approached their table, carrying a pen and journal in hand _. Daring people like him needed to be dealt with. Discreetly._

Ray slid a hand in his coat pocket and took out a pen. With a brief scan left and right, Ray crossed his arms, keeping his pen well-hidden as he aimed the tip straight in the dirtbag’s direction. 

With Ayu engrossed in twirling her noodles, Ray waited for the dirtbag to come closer. It did not take too long, for he took brisk steps towards them. The excitement of seeing his idol up-close made Ray’s job a lot easier.

With the man finally close by, Ray clicked his pen twice, coughing loud enough to drown out the bullet’s crackle.

Within a second, the man fell with a thud.

_“AAAAHH!”_ He thrashed his arms around, screaming and catching the attention of the whole room, including Ayu’s and Dongwon’s. _Thanks to Ray, he caught his beloved Ayu’s much wanted attention._

_“Sir, are you alright?”_ A middle-aged waiter passing by crouched down in front of him.

_“D-DID YOU…!” He frantically moved his head left and right, before gripping the waiter’s arms with shaky hands. “DID YOU FEEL THAT?!”_

_“I’m… sorry?”_

_“I FELT SOMETHING! LIKE…! Like...”_

_“Like?” The waiter prodded him to continue._

_“LIKE LIGHTNING!”_

_“What?”_

_‘Relax, it’s just a zap…’_

_Click._

_“AAAAAAHH!”_

_“Sir!”_

_Click._

_“AAAAHHHH!”_

The slapstick humour of a grown man squirming in agony lacked the hilarity to elicit a cackle from Ray, yet amused him enough for a quick huff of air out his nose.

The way the waiter did his best to calm the man down was something Ray thought praiseworthy. Had it been him, he would have thrown the maniac out, then banned him from ever setting foot in the place.

“Okay, done!” Zen announced, then pulled his chair back and sat. “Did you wait lon—Hmm? What’s wrong?” He asked upon noticing Ayu’s dumbfounded expression.

“I-I’m not sure? A guy just went ballistic?”

“Really?” He asked, then turned to his bodyguard. “Is that what happened?”

“Apparently so. He said he got shot by lightning or something?”

“What? Lightning? Like here? I didn’t hear any thunder, though.”

_‘Relax, I only shot him thrice. No need to overreact.’_

The pen he used, made to shoot electrically-charged pellets within a short distance, was created by him with a stun gun’s properties in mind, but with an impact less than that of the real thing. It was a weapon he rarely resorted using, only to be used for situations that required much stealth such as this.

_Three bullets just for a piece of trash… Ray hoped no one was that stupid to follow in his footsteps._

“Soooo… how’s this charity thing of yours doing? _Something… F.A?_ ” Ayu questioned with a slight tilt of her head.

“RFA? It’s doing well! Hmm, we still don’t have a set date for the next party, though.”

“Oh, I see,” she nodded.

“I’ll send you and the girls an invitation once our party coordinator decides on the date.”

_A split-second pout crossed her face but was immediately replaced with a full grin._

“Yay!” Ayu clapped. “What will the party theme be?”

_“Oh, my... is that Ayu and Zen?”_

The mention of _“Ayu”_ had Ray’s ears perking up _._ Without turning his head, he looked to the side, eyeing a petite girl locking her arm around a tall guy’s elbow. Judging from their matching shirts with the printed statement, _“Born to love her/him”_ , he assumed the two to be a couple of the disgustingly cheesy type.

_“Okay...so?”_

_Good. Maybe he didn’t have to use the pen after all._

_“Hnng! They look so cute together!” The girl released her arm from his, taking out a phone and handing it to him. “Quick! Take a pic!”_

Ray sighed. _Guess he’d have to waste another precious pen._

With the first now out of pellets, he fished his coat for another, then took it out.

_“Eh, why me? I’m not even a fan of them.”_

_“You said you liked Dandelion, though!”_

_“Meh, I only like Annie, but fine. Ayu would do,”_ he shrugged, taking the phone from her hand.

With pen in hand, Ray closed one eye and pretended to scratch his head, slowly running his fingers through his hair, until he found the best position to aim from.

_All that’s left was to wait for the idiot to make the first move._

Tilting the phone to the side, the guy held it at a distance from his face. His girlfriend peeked from behind his shoulder, whispering and guiding his hand to her preferred angle.

_“Perfect! Now stay still and hold it like that—”_

_Click._

The booming noise caught his companions’ attention.

_“W-what? What just happened?!”_

_“What’s wrong?!”_ The girlfriend grabbed her phone and gasped. _“What did you do?!”_

_‘Hmm, I might have caused a lover’s quarrel.’_

_“I didn’t do anything! I swear it suddenly broke! Are you sure this isn’t fake?”_

_“No way! I bought this from the store itself! And I just bought this last month…”_

“What do you think is going on?” Ayu asked, unaware of her own bodyguard being the culprit of the ruckus.

“Hmm, there could only be one explanation.”

“What is it?”

Sighing, Zen placed a hand on his forehead. “My looks. It struck someone with lightning and now, it even broke a camera. Ah, why does my beauty have to be so deadly? It’s almost a sin.”

Ray rubbed his eyes to stop them from rolling heavenwards. _What the hell did his boss see in this man? Was it the rat tail? It must have been the rat tail._

“I-I know, right!” She replied with a quick bob of her head, before sneaking a look at Ray, distrust evident in her features. 

Ray responded to her accusatory glance with a _“clueless”_ tilt of his head. 

The crease between her eyebrows deepened by the second. Tabloids would have jumped at the opportunity of catching her at her ugliest if it were not for Ray’s body blocking her face from everyone’s view.

“Umm… Oppa?”

At a stranger’s arrival, their staring contest was abruptly cut off.

_‘Oppa? The princess wouldn’t like that.’_

_The barely noticeable twitch in her eye was enough proof._

A slightly chubby girl approached their table, accompanied by another girl who looked the same age as she did.

“Um…”

“Go on,” said the other girl, giving her friend a light push towards Zen.

“Yes?” Zen flashed her a polite smile.

“U-um…”

“She wants an autograph!” The friend said, sipping from her mug and positioning herself near Ayu.

“I-I…!”

“Oh, sure!” Zen said, easing her nerves. “No problem at all!”

Etched on his boss’ face was an uncomfortably wide smile that failed to reach her eyes. 

“R-really?!” The girl smiled, handing to him a DVD case of _Tei’s Tea Leaf,_ the film that skyrocketed his fame, making him a beloved household name.

Smiling, Zen took it. “Mm-hmm!” He stretched a palm out to his bodyguard, who then placed a black marker pen on it. Uncapping it, he said, “What’s your name, pretty girl?”

“Y-Yoori!” The girl blushed, leaning closer to Zen.

Hidden underneath the table was Ayu’s tightly-clenched fist, nails digging in her palms sure to leave a crescent-shaped mark. 

“Okay! _Yoori,_ ” Zen mumbled as he wrote his message. “May you always be happy and healthy. Make sure to always eat your meals and…”

Face still close to Zen, she snuck a glance at her friend, mouthing something before giving a slight nod.

_Something seemed off. No, rather, something was definitely off._

Ray jolted his head to his left. _No one, not even Zen’s bodyguard, paid attention to the mug in the girl’s hand, hovering above Ayu’s head, and slowly tilting downwards._

Quickly shifting to the side, he reached out to grab the girl’s wrist.

“OW! W-what are you doing?!”

“Ray?!” Ayu abruptly stood. “What are you doing?! Let her go!”

She reached a hand out to pull Ray away from the girl, but was too slow to stop…

the tea…

from spilling…

on…

Zen.

_Splash!_

“Ah!” Zen stood, hair dripping wet and clothes stained with black tea, squeezing the liquid from the drenched part of his shirt.

Ayu snapped her head towards Ray, “What did you just do?!”

_There was that look of disgust again._

“Oh, my gosh, I’m so sorry! He didn’t mean it!" She gushed. "What to do, what to do…?” Ayu grabbed a fistful of tissues, dabbing them on his damp shirt.

“This has gotten… a bit out of hand,” Zen lightly chuckled, rubbing his nape. “Take out?”

**~ ~ ~ ~**

“I forget this usually happens when you’re famous.” Zen joked once they reached their car.

“Same.…”

For the first time since meeting Zen, his humour was lost on her. She’s always laughed even at his unfunniest jokes, but now... _How could she laugh when the day she’s been looking forward to the most turned into such a wreck?_

“Kind of weird. You know, I sometimes invite Sienna here—”

_Sienna?_ The mention of _that cursed name_ brought out a frown on her face.

“—but this never really happened.” Zen scratched his head and chuckled. “You be careful, okay?” He held the door open for Ayu, handing her the take-out bag and waved. “Make sure Mr. Ray doesn’t skip a meal!”

With zero enthusiasm, she nodded and forced a smile that failed to reach her eyes. “Sure!”

The windows rolled up, and they sped off. Ray did not turn the radio on this time and simply drove in silence, occasionally glancing at her from the rear-view mirror.

_As for Ayu, she was too busy cooking up a plan on how to get away with murder._

**~ ~ ~ ~**

Ayu slammed the door open, hitting the wall with much force, and stomped her way in, with Ray following exactly 10 steps behind as ordered.

Coming to an abrupt halt, she kicked the wedges off her feet and flung them to opposite directions. 

_“I hate her. I hate her. I hate that… UGH!”_ She tightened the grip on her handbag’s strap, knuckles turning white and fingernails digging into her palms. The temper she kept contained the whole car ride was now bubbling beyond her control.

Skipping the mandatory 5-second countdown, she snapped her head at Ray and snarled, “YOU!” 

Stomping her way towards him, Ayu jabbed a finger on his chest. “Why did you have to mess this up? What right did you have to ruin everything? Everything was going well until you decided to _literally_ spill the tea on Oppa!”

Ray said nothing, simply watching her seethe with anger.

“AND. THAT. SIENNA. He had barbecue with Sienna before… me? Huh?”

Ayu grabbed fistfuls of her hair, yanking it at its roots. A glimpse of Sienna eating and laughing with Zen flashed in her mind—fleeting, but enough to fuel her rage.

Taking deep breaths, she paced back and forth around the living room. With gritted teeth, she let out a soft scream, controlled and barely a scream at first, gradually rising to a crescendo.

_And thus came the apocalypse._

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!”

She picked up a throw pillow from her couch and hurled it towards Ray, who barely avoided getting hit. “AAAAAAAHHHHH! I CAN'T EVEN!”

Nothing was safe in her presence. Any object unfortunate enough to be within arm’s reach was practically Sienna and Ray in her eyes.

She grabbed three more pillows, hurling them one by one in every direction. “AAAAAHHHHH! CURSE! EVERYTHING!”

Even her _Louis Vuitton_ handbag was not spared from the madness. She unzipped it with much force, almost detaching its zipper, and dumped all of its contents on the ground. 

She picked up her first victim, a pressed powder around ₩78,000, and threw it across the room, letting out a long, ear-piercing battle cry. Not even the slightest hint of regret crossed her mind as it collided against the wall, dropping to the floor with a loud crack. _Her ₩78,000 pressed powder was now barely worth a cent._

Her second victim, a flower vase she received from a fan two Christmases ago, met the same fate as the first. _Who cares if it was a gift? Who cares if they were expensive? She. Wanted. Everything. Destroyed._

Imagining the scattered ceramic shards as Sienna’s face was doing nothing to curb her bloodlust. Driven by the memory of their disastrous date, she picked them all up, not caring about the wound or even worse, the infection she could get.

_It’s fine as long as they die before she does._

“AAAAAAAAHHH!”

From the corner of her eye, Ray was darting his head side to side.. The chaos unfolding before him went beyond his control.

It was not enough. _Thrashing the whole living room was not bringing any satisfaction at all!_

_If laws did not exist, she would have killed those two already!_

Her third victim, a random box she found lying around, shook Ray out of his shell-shocked state, had him hurrying to where she sent it flying.

Lastly, she caught sight of her phone, grabbing it, dialing the only person she knew would understand her.

At the first ring, the other line picked up.

_“Yes—”_

“FIRE HIM! FIRE! HIM! I WANT ANOTHER BODYGUARD! IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE MR. PARK! ANYONE BUT THIS PIECE OF TRASH! THROW HIM AWAAAAAAAAAAY! AAAAAAHHH!” She screeched at the top of her lungs.

_“P-princess, calm down! What’s wrong?”_

“RAY! HE… RAY! HE RUINED EVERYTHING! I’LL NEVER GET THIS CHANCE AGAIN AND HE–HE! UUUUUGGGGH!” She repeatedly stomped her feet.

_“Deep breaths, Princess, deep breaths. What did he do?”_

“RAY! HE SPILLED—"

Then followed a string of curses befitting a sailor. If her words could be censored, it would merely be a continuous, uninterrupted beeping noise.

“ _Give Ray the phone. I’ll speak to him.”_

“FIRE HIM, OKAY?”

Ayu tapped the loudspeaker button, stomping towards Ray, who was standing still, carrying a box package under his arm.

She shoved the phone on Ray’s free hand. “You’re screwed.”

Ray held the speaker near his mouth. “Yes, boss?”

She crossed her arms and loudly tapped her foot. If looks could kill, Ray would have been shish-kebab by now. To be more precise, he had already been impaled by her death glares immediately as they stepped out of the restaurant.

_“What just happened? I don’t understand what she’s saying. She said you spilled a girl on her tea? And someone’s shirt was drenched with this Zen? What? W-what does that mean?”_

“Ah. That.”

_“So you really did something?”_

“Yes, but not in the way she makes it out to be.”

Ayu uncrossed her arms and stomped her foot. “JUST GET TO THE FREAKING POINT ALREADY!” 

“I’m not done talking,” Ray coldly snapped.

She gaped at him in a scandalized manner. _‘How dare you?’_

“And she’s right… somewhat.”

Irritated, she huffed a few stray hair strands away from her face, _‘Somewhat my ass.’_

“I did spill the tea on Mr. Zen but I was only trying to stop the girl’s friend from spilling the tea on your daughter.”

At Ray’s words, the frown on Ayu’s face slowly faded and was soon replaced by confusion. _The tea was meant for her?_

Stills of that unfortunate incident flashed in her mind—malicious intent hiding behind a useless piece of trash’s youthful smile, aiming a water gun at Ayu’s eyes, hellbent on blinding her with whatever unholy mixture she had concocted.

_If Ray had been with her back then… would he have prevented it?_ She watched the conversation between her father and her bodyguard, a somber look marring her face.

_“What? Why would they do that?”_

“Simply put, they dislike Ayu..”

_“This is unbelievable! How could anyone dislike my Ayu?”_

“Heh, I wonder how as well,” he sneered as he sent a sidelong glance her way.

Ayu’s spirits sank lower. _All this time, she was lashing out at someone who... did not deserve it?_

Having tea spilled on her was not nearly as dangerous as the time she nearly went blind. Unlike then, the one from the barbecue place was merely an expression of hate rather than a desire to harm, but still….

_“Tell me their names! I’ll make sure—”_

“Stop!” Ayu marched towards Ray, snatching the phone from his hand. “No need! Goodbye, Dad!”

_“Princess—!”_

She ended it before he could say another word. She knew it was rude, but she did not care anymore. _He’d forgive her anyway._

She looked around her, at the mess...

_'Mess'_ was an understatement; it was a trainwreck brought about by her rampage— _the aftermath of a friendly date gone horribly wrong._

With the anger ebbing away, only silence was left between the two.

“Are you being honest with me right now?”

“Yes.”

“You know I could fire you anytime, right?”

“Yes.”

She looked into his eyes, intently searching for the slightest hint of a lie… at least something to justify her outburst even for just a bit.

However, Ray held his ground, mint eyes staring her down with the same intensity as her. He looked as though he was challenging her, disregarding the fact that he was still working under her. _It was as if he thought they were equals._

“Are we clear? Can I go now?”

She was the first one to break eye contact. “Do… Do what you want,” she said, casting her gaze on the ground.

He bowed, carrying the box package under his arm, then left.

**o-o-o-o**

Handling his boss’ daughter’s tantrums was not part of his job description; he was a bodyguard, not a babysitter.

_He had seen better content from Nat Geo Wild._

Her shrill voice was grating to the ears. He expected a spoiled princess wannabe, but not the batshit crazy woman package that came with it.

_Last night was proof that she is indeed the rightful main vocalist and not Sienna. No debate needed._

He was expecting at least a _"thank you"_ from her, even when his effort deserved nothing short of a bow of gratitude. Were it not for him, those dirtbag fans of hers would have flooded in, asking for autographs and ruining her date. She should have been thankful that he was considerate enough to help her enjoy her date in peace.

If it was not for some people who managed to sneak past him, then there would have been no need to waste his special bullet-taser pens. He could make one anytime, but…

_It was such a hassle._ Each pen was supposed to last for a good week before running out. He made those pens, expecting them to be used only for emergencies.

Ray shot a glance at the box package under his bed. Save for the creases, it was still safe. _Fortunately._

“Tsk, tsk… useless, bratty boss….”

_‘Condoms exist to prevent the birth of such abomination.’_

**~ ~ ~ ~**

As Ray stepped foot inside the dining area, he was greeted by the smell of bacon and butter.

Ayu, who was seated at the other end of the table, glanced up at him. Upon meeting his eyes, she hung her head down, playing with the ends of her hair instead.

Across from her, at the spot he usually sat on, was an untouched plate of five greasy bacon strips and scrambled eggs. Beside it was a plate of pancakes stacked atop each other, drizzled with syrup and topped with slowly melting butter.

_Bzz!_

A fly flew past him, landing atop a strip of bacon.

Ayu waved it away, but it was a stubborn one, moving on to another strip instead. “TCH!” She shooed it again, and the fly eventually gave up and went away.

“You should’ve eaten it sooner if you didn’t want flies to get to it.”

“I told you I don’t eat these stuff.”

“Why is it here, then? Is Boss coming over?”

“No.”

“Ah. How about that pretty boy?”

“I don’t invite men to my house. And Zen is too much of a gentleman for that.”

“Ah. Your frie—”

“AH!” Ayu slammed her hands on the table. Testing her patience first thing in the morning was not good for anyone’s health. “JUST EAT ALREADY FOR GOODNESS—” Closing her eyes and taking a sharp inhale, she tried to compose herself. 

“Eat it now if you don’t want it to go cold,” she said in a somber tone.

This brought about a scowl to Ray’s face. _Was it that hard to say sorry?_ She was in the wrong, yet she still held her pride. _Even Big Boss apologizes once in a blue moon!_

Then again, Big Boss probably instilled in her mind how she never needed to apologize, especially to _‘slapsoils’_ like Ray; whatever it meant, he didn’t want to find out.

“Tough luck, then, Princess.” Ray reached for the fruit bowl and took an apple, biting into it.

She felt annoyed at how the seconds ticked at an unbearably slow pace, and his loud munches only worsened it. _Was it that hard to eat? If it was a matter of taste, there was nothing to worry about. She can cook if that’s what he was worried about._

After what seemed like an eternity, Ray swallowed. “I don’t eat those kinds of food too.”

_She could go choke on her pride and bacon, and see if he cares._

He stood up, heading straight to the door, leaving her alone.

With her appetite gone and attempts to apologize rebuffed, there was no reason to stay longer. Taking with her the untouched plate, she walked over the trash bin, kicking it hard before throwing all the wasted food away.

**o-o-o-o**

“Somewhere out there, someone is wasting a good bacon right now,” Samsa mumbled, hugging her legs tighter to her chest, and resting her chin on her knees. She looked over to Seven, who was rooted in his usual spot, sitting cross-legged in front of his wooden short-legged table. Just like always, he was "busy" _._ Samsa wondered what kind of job he had to be that busy.

She loudly cleared her throat and began, “I would die for one slice!”

_Type, type, type... A stray hairball would have been a better listener._

For over several hours since Seven, against his will, allowed her to stay, there was only silence, save for his fast typing. It was not that she did not try breaking the silence; the problem was Seven himself— he kept rebuffing her attempts of friendly talk.

_I’m busy._

_Don’t bother me._

_Go away._

_Be quiet._

_Shut up._

“Hmph, so mean. No girl will like you.”

Childishly making faces directed at him, she mimicked his voice, “ _I’m busy, go away, don’t bother me, myeh myeh myeh myeh—_ ” Samsa quickly snapped her head to the right, barely avoiding his eyes as he faced her.

Seven stood, stretching his arms and bending his back, getting a few cracks out.

“Mr. Seven.”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for letting me stay here…”

“Don’t thank me. This is only temporary.”

“I-I know that, but…” She took a quick look behind, making sure Vanderwood wasn’t there. “Okay, this is just a secret, alright, but I really hate motels.”

“Uh, why?”

“I’m, um,” she crossed her arms over her chest, “scared of them.”

“Huh?! What’s there to be scared of?”

_Afraid of motels? Did she have a bad experience with motels or…._

The imaginary lightbulb above his head flickered. It was a touchy matter but...

_Was she a sexual assault victim?_

“You won’t understand because you don’t have boobs!”

_Motels and boobs... Oh, shit, she really was one! He almost bruised her arm and even carried her over his shoulder! Did he unconsciously trigger traumatic memories? He messed up big time!_

Immediately, guilt and concern replaced Luciel’s indifference. He may not be able to reverse time and change her past, but the least he could do was apologize and help her out.

He crouched in front of her. Leisurely, his hand went to reach hers. “I’m sor—” 

“Motels are substandard, don’t you know?”

Leisurely as well, he pulled his hand back, giving her a blank stare.

“What does that have to do with boobs? Do they need silk sheets or flowery bubble baths? I don’t have those in my house, sorry.”

“It’s not about that! It’s about the rats!”

Each answer she gave only left him with more questions. _Rats. Boobs. What correlation did those two have?_

Luciel let out a defeated sigh. “Enlighten me.”

“Okay, so it’s common sense that motels don’t clean their bathrooms! They have poor plumbing! They have these yucky, stinky overflowing toilets that smell like poop and pee. They don’t even change their carpets. There’s absolutely noooooo pest control either! I don’t want to wake up with, like, cockroach eggs in my mouth. It's so disgustiiiiing, like, ew, no, ew, I literally can't even!”

_‘Patience, 707, you’ve been on stakeouts before. This is nothing. It will all make sense.’_

“What if, like, I’m just walking and suddenly, ten cockroaches crawl out of my mouth like Hanahaki Disease? But instead of petals, flying cockroaches?”

_Not that he was a pervert, but… when will her boobs explanation come? And cockroaches? Sure, cockroaches laying eggs in peoples’ mouths was possible, albeit exaggerated, but actually crawling out of her mouth? Did she sleep through all of her biology classes?_

“And rats have big teeth...they’ll eat my breasts,” she whimpered.

“Eat your…what?” Luciel tried processing her words, but his brain seemed to be malfunctioning. _Her words must have installed a highly-complicated virus in him._ “Of all body parts... just why?”

“Duh, rats like the smell of cheese.”

“Are you saying,” he scrunched his nose, “your breasts smell like cheese?”

_This was dirty talk at its most unattractive._

“Of course not, but rats have a sharp sense of smell. And you know, breasts have milk and cheese comes from milk. They can smell it from afar.”

“What? Are you even lactating?” Even his questions were getting dumber, but can he be blamed? She kept giving dumb answers. 

_Darwinian evolution must have overlooked her species._

“All women start storing milk in their breasts once it starts getting bigger. My chest started to develop when I was 12, so I have had milk since 12.” Samsa then placed her hands on her breasts, lightly squeezing them to further prove whatever her point was.

_How distorted can a person’s brain even get? It must be coughing phlegm for her to spew out all that nonsense._

“The only thing made out of milk is that brain of yours,” he muttered under his breath. “I can see why you dropped out.”

_But the real question was how she was even accepted in the first place._

“You must be tired. It’s best if you sleep it off, okay?” He spoke slowly as though he were conversing with a child. “Not having enough sleep is bad, you know? Scientists say it can lower your IQ!”

“Oh, okay…,” she nodded and lay down on the sofa. 

“Good, good,” he patted her head. “Now, behave yourself, okay? I’m going to take a shower. And don’t you dare perv on me.”

“As if I want to!”

  
**~ ~ ~ ~**   
  


Having never slept on a sofa for more than an hour, this was a new experience for her.

_It was unfair how Vanderwood had a room of his own, but not her!_

_‘I’m a girl! How could he treat me like this?!’_ She huffed and pulled the blanket over her head.

_Maybe she’d have to get close to Seven to claim her bed privileges. If all else fails, at least she still had a roof over her head._

Minutes passed and she found it hard to fall asleep. She counted sheep and hummed out-of-tune nursery rhymes, to no effect. This was a different environment, after all, and the first time she fell asleep in it was an exception. _She had to be dead tired to even reach the REM phase._

_Rriiiiiing! Rriiiiiing! Rriiiiiing!_

Sticking her head out from her covers, Samsa craned her neck to check where the ringing was coming from.

“Seven!” She called. “Someone’s calling!”

_As she expected, he did not hear her._

She kept an eye on the table he usually worked on, waiting for the ringing to stop. However, patience was not her strongest suit.

Tempted to answer it herself, she suddenly recalled Seven’s core house rules: _To mind their own businesses and to keep their hands off of each other’s items._

_How can she possibly do that when his phone rang non-stop?_

She stood and went to get it. Seeing as how Seven or Vanderwood weren’t coming to pick it up, she had no choice but to break a rule. _On her first day._

Mid-ring, she picked it up, “Hello?”

_“Hello? May I ask who’s speaking?”_

_Soothing, calming, pleasant, heavenly, and every other synonym the dictionary had to offer… with a voice like that, they could pull her intestines out, tie, gag, or strangle her with it... and her confused mind would mistake their threats for lullabies._

“S-Samsa speaking.”

_“Pardon?”_

_Ted Bundy would have loved her gullible ass._

**~ ~ ~ ~**

_“You were the clock that was ticking in my heart,”_ Luciel sang as he rubbed shampoo on his hair. _“Changed my state of mind na na na alibaba! Longcat na na—”_

“SEVEN, SEVEN, SEVEN!”

Luciel flinched. _Tch,_ _she dared disturb his private concert?_

Samsa banged her fists on the door, twisting the fortunately-locked doorknob as she did so.

He clicked his tongue. _‘What’s wrong with you?’_

Even as he showered, she still bothered invading his privacy.

_“YOUR FEELINGS CHANGE LIKE THE WEATHER! WENT FROM CLEAR TO GRAY!”_ He sang louder, turning his shower on, drowning out her voice.

But her voice managed to overpower it as she bellowed, “SEVEN! OPEN!”

“Ah! What?!”

“PHONE! PHONE!”

Without rinsing the leftover soap, he turned the shower off. Stepping out of the shower, he grabbed the nearest towel and wrapped it around his waist.

_He’d rather get this over with than last another minute listening to her annoying voice._

“SEEEEEEEVEEEEEEEEN!”

“I SAID WAIT!”

He twisted the knob and swung the door open.

“Sev—EEH!” She widened her eyes, immediately shutting them, then whirled away from him. She stretched his phone out to him, eyes still shut and cheeks tinged with pink. “P-put some….”

“Tsk!” Luciel grabbed the phone from her hand. _For sure, the caller was Jumin._ _He was the only one cold enough to call at the unholy hour of 1:00 AM._ “New phone, who this?”

_“Luciel?”_

He furrowed his brows; Jumin never sounded this saintly, and the caller lacked the familiar baritone unique to the said man. 

"S-Saint Francis?"

A familiar angelic sigh came from the other line _._ He almost forgot the only other person that could rival Jumin’s _bravery._

“V-Hyung?”

_“You know I have always been strict about living together before marriage.”_

_Birds of the same feather do flock together._

* * *

o-o-o-o

Hohoho have a rare photo of us

**Author's Note:**

> If you've reached this far, do leave kudos or reviews if it's not too much of a bother ^ 3 ^ thank you~!
> 
> P.S: Artworks featured here are made by Baeran~
> 
> The MCs  
> MC 2 - Ayu  
> MC 5 - Samsa  
> MC 3 - Sienna
> 
> Also, here's a playlist if you're interested! 
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0jjOgACjwU1xF8JfXUBjkj?si=f0nnm8FjQLSDXG6jwj_xnw


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